Robert Barnes

Washington, D.C.

Reporter covering the U.S. Supreme Court

Education: University of Florida

Robert Barnes has been a Washington Post reporter and editor since 1987. He joined the paper to cover Maryland politics, and he has served in various editing positions, including metropolitan editor and national political editor. He has covered the Supreme Court since November 2006.
Latest from Robert Barnes

Supreme Court overturns public-corruption conviction of Cuomo aide

Joseph Percoco took payments and called state officials while working on the New York governor’s reelection campaign, not in his administration.

May 11, 2023

Supreme Court upholds California law on humane pork sales

Proposition 12 bans selling products derived from sows that don't have at least 24 square feet of space and the ability to stand up and turn around in their pens.

May 11, 2023

The Supreme Court’s potential conflict-of-interest problem

The potential conflicts of interest keep stacking up for the Supreme Court. Today we break down the recent reports about issues such as luxury vacations gifted to Clarence Thomas and the occupation of John Roberts’s wife.

May 11, 2023

Tracking Supreme Court decisions in major cases

The Post is following key cases that the Supreme Court will decide on 2023. Here are the major decisions the court is expected to rule on and why they matter.

May 11, 2023

Supreme Court stops execution after Okla. attorney general admits error

The state’s Republican attorney general said prosecutorial misconduct in the case would make putting Richard Glossip to death at this time “unthinkable.”

May 5, 2023

Crow tuition payment for Thomas relative adds to outcry over court ethics

Amid criticism of Justice Clarence Thomas, experts debate whether other justices improperly failed to recuse themselves from cases involving their book publisher.

May 4, 2023

Deep divide at Supreme Court ethics hearing, despite some GOP calls for action

Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearing on Supreme Court ethics amid questions on gifts from Harland Crow to Justice Clarence Thomas.

May 2, 2023

Supreme Court accepts case that challenges authority of federal agencies

Conservatives have long wanted to overturn the Chevron doctrine, which tells judges to defer to federal agencies when interpreting ambiguous federal laws.

May 1, 2023

Alito thinks he knows who Dobbs leaker is — and says it’s not a conservative

The leak of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization draft opinion rocked the Supreme Court and its tradition of secrecy involving unreleased opinions.

April 28, 2023

N.C. Supreme Court reverses redistricting ruling in a win for Republicans

A new majority on the North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday gave Republican lawmakers free rein to draw congressional maps as they see fit, reversing a previous decision.

April 28, 2023