So does this make the current Supreme Court case moot? Now that the Parliament has approved it, why is it necessary to continue with the case?
Not exactly. The Supreme Court case claims that there will have to be an Act (or acts) of Parliament before Article 50 can be triggered - in other words the sovereign Parliament, rather than the executive Government, will make the key decisions. Today’s vote was simply backing a motion rather than a statute, so is not law, but it’s a useful first step. The fact that the Government tabled an amendment to the motion which broadly supported it is being taken by many to indicate that the Government expects to lose its appeal in the Supreme Court, and is conceding that Parliament will have to have a greater involvement than it had hoped.