{"id":28261,"date":"2025-11-04T17:36:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T17:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261"},"modified":"2025-11-04T17:36:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T17:36:48","slug":"supreme-court-drops-earth-shaking-7-2-decision-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261","title":{"rendered":"SUPREME COURT DROPS EARTH-SHAKING 7-2 DECISION"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a 7\u20132 ruling in Bufkin v. Collins<\/strong>, the U.S. Supreme Court sharply limited how much leeway veterans receive when seeking benefits. The justices held that courts must now defer to the Department of Veterans Affairs<\/strong> unless there is a \u201cclear and obvious\u201d error\u2014a major shift that weakens the long-standing benefit-of-the-doubt<\/em> principle that once favored veterans whenever evidence was evenly balanced. The case centered on two former service members, Joshua Bufkin<\/strong> and Norman Thornton<\/strong>, who were both denied PTSD-related claims despite strong documentation.<\/p>\n

Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson<\/strong> and Neil Gorsuch<\/strong> dissented, warning that the majority\u2019s decision tilts the system against those who have already carried the heaviest burdens in defense of their country. Veterans\u2019 organizations and legal advocates echoed those concerns, calling the ruling a step backward for fairness. Many are now urging Congress to intervene legislatively and restore protections that recognize the moral debt owed to those who served.<\/p>\n

For decades, the benefit-of-the-doubt<\/em> rule stood for more than legal interpretation\u2014it reflected a national ethic of gratitude. When uncertainty remained, the tie went to the veteran. The new precedent shifts authority toward bureaucracy and away from human testimony, prompting questions about what justice truly means for those living with visible and invisible wounds of war. As one advocate put it, compassion, not technicality, should define a nation\u2019s response to its veterans.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, lawmakers face a moral test: Will they reaffirm the principle that sacrifice deserves faith and fairness, or let procedural deference erode that promise? The Court\u2019s decision may stand in law, but the country\u2019s responsibility to its veterans endures. They should not have to fight another battle\u2014this time, for the care and recognition they already earned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a 7\u20132 ruling in Bufkin v. Collins, the U.S. Supreme Court sharply limited how much leeway veterans receive when seeking benefits. The justices held that courts… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28262,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSUPREME COURT DROPS EARTH-SHAKING 7-2 DECISION -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SUPREME COURT DROPS EARTH-SHAKING 7-2 DECISION -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a 7\u20132 ruling in Bufkin v. Collins, the U.S. Supreme Court sharply limited how much leeway veterans receive when seeking benefits. The justices held that courts...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-04T17:36:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new50.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/577439445_122191871102345815_2569492085824353445_n.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"administrator\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"administrator\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261\",\"name\":\"SUPREME COURT DROPS EARTH-SHAKING 7-2 DECISION -\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/577439445_122191871102345815_2569492085824353445_n.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-04T17:36:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-04T17:36:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/#\/schema\/person\/dd6d79e2639e598df1608cbfdfb86b06\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/577439445_122191871102345815_2569492085824353445_n.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/577439445_122191871102345815_2569492085824353445_n.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1350},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"SUPREME COURT DROPS EARTH-SHAKING 7-2 DECISION\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/#\/schema\/person\/dd6d79e2639e598df1608cbfdfb86b06\",\"name\":\"administrator\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3aa616fe0651f861132c90ce32df595?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3aa616fe0651f861132c90ce32df595?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"administrator\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/new50.info\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"SUPREME COURT DROPS EARTH-SHAKING 7-2 DECISION -","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"SUPREME COURT DROPS EARTH-SHAKING 7-2 DECISION -","og_description":"In a 7\u20132 ruling in Bufkin v. Collins, the U.S. Supreme Court sharply limited how much leeway veterans receive when seeking benefits. The justices held that courts...","og_url":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261","article_published_time":"2025-11-04T17:36:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":1350,"url":"https:\/\/new50.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/577439445_122191871102345815_2569492085824353445_n.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"administrator","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"administrator"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261","url":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261","name":"SUPREME COURT DROPS EARTH-SHAKING 7-2 DECISION -","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/new50.info\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/new50.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/577439445_122191871102345815_2569492085824353445_n.jpg","datePublished":"2025-11-04T17:36:48+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-04T17:36:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/new50.info\/#\/schema\/person\/dd6d79e2639e598df1608cbfdfb86b06"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/new50.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/577439445_122191871102345815_2569492085824353445_n.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/new50.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/577439445_122191871102345815_2569492085824353445_n.jpg","width":1080,"height":1350},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=28261#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/new50.info\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"SUPREME COURT DROPS EARTH-SHAKING 7-2 DECISION"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/new50.info\/#website","url":"https:\/\/new50.info\/","name":"","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/new50.info\/#\/schema\/person\/dd6d79e2639e598df1608cbfdfb86b06","name":"administrator","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new50.info\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3aa616fe0651f861132c90ce32df595?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3aa616fe0651f861132c90ce32df595?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"administrator"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/new50.info"],"url":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new50.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28261"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new50.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new50.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new50.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new50.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28261"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new50.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28263,"href":"https:\/\/new50.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28261\/revisions\/28263"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new50.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new50.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new50.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new50.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}