U.S. Supreme Court 2014 Term Arguments: Recent Episodes
Oyez
A case in which the Court was to consider whether the rule in Miller applies retroactively to juveniles sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, but was dismissed prior to arguments.
This case was dismissed after the petitioner failed to respond to the Court's requests for a brief within the allotted time period.
A case in which the Court held that circuit courts of appeals have jurisdiction over Board of Immigration Appeals decisions to deny motions to reopen immigration proceedings.
A case in which the Court held that the use of midazolam as the initial drug in a state’s execution protocol does not violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.
A case in which the Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license and recognize same-sex marriage.
A case in which the Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license and recognize same-sex marriage.
A case in which the Court held that a pretrial detainee who brings an excessive force claim need only prove that the use of force in question was objectively unreasonable.
A case in which the Court determined that the reserve requirement of the Department of Agriculture’s Marketing Order constituted a per se taking and therefore required that the government provide just compensation.
A case in which the Court decided that in order to fulfill the intent element of The Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act of 1986, a person must either know that the substance is a controlled substance or be aware of what the substance is without knowing that it is controlled.
A case in which the Court determined that the residual clause of the Armed Criminal Career Act is unconstitutionally vague.
A case in which the Court held that a bankruptcy court’s order denying confirmation of a repayment plan is not a final order for the purpose of immediate appeal.
A case in which the Court held that any assets acquired after the date of filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy must be returned to the debtor when the bankruptcy is converted to Chapter 7.
A case in which the Court decided that a good-faith belief that a patent is invalid is not a defense to a claim of induced infringement.
A case in which the Court determined that its earlier decision in Brulotte v. Thys Co., which held that a patentee cannot continue to receive royalties after the expiration of the patent, should be upheld.
A case in which the Court held that a state court’s decision that a defendant was not entitled to an evidentiary hearing on intellectual disability despite evidence of a borderline IQ score and potential adaptive skills impairment was an unreasonable determination of facts.
A case in which the Court determined that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unreasonably interpreted the Clean Air Act by not considering costs to power plants in deciding that regulation was “appropriate and necessary.”
A case in which the court ruled that Section 506 (d) of the Bankruptcy Code does not allow a debtor filing for bankruptcy to void a second mortgage when the debt owed on the first one exceeds the value of the collateral property.
A case in which the Court held that an unwarranted entry does not violate the Fourth Amendment when it does not violate a clearly established constitutional or statutory right and is reasonable under the circumstances.
Texas' specialty license plates constitute government speech that does not require viewpoint neutrality under the First Amendment.
A case in which the Court determined that the plain language of the Affordable Care Act extended tax credits to federally-created exchanges as well as those the states created.
A case in which the Court held that, when a state court has adjudicated constitutional claims on the merits, a federal court can only overturn that determination if the state court’s decision was based on an unreasonable view of the facts or contrary to clearly established federal law, and that there must be grave doubt regarding whether a possible constitutional error was harmless in order to hold that it was not.
A case in which the Court determined that a municipal ordinance that allows the police to inspect hotel records without a warrant violates the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable searches unless the business owner is given the opportunity for pre-compliance review.
A case in which the Court held that the introduction of a child’s testimony at trial through a teacher does not violate the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment.
A case in which the Court determined that the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution does not prohibit a state from creating an independent redistricting commission by initiative.
A case in which the Court held that the Bankruptcy Code does not provide an explicit statutory exception to the American rule of attorney fees—that each litigant pays for his own attorney’s fees.
A case in which the Court held that an employer may be held liable under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act if an applicant can show that her need for an accommodation was a motivating factor in the employer’s decision not to hire her.
A case in which the Court held that, according to trust law, the fiduciary duty includes a continuing duty to monitor investments, and that a breach of that duty within six years of the filing of a lawsuit under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act is sufficient to allow the case to proceed.
A case in which the Court held that a felony conviction does not prevent a court from ordering the transfer of lawfully owned firearms to a third party as long as the defendant will neither use them nor direct their use.
A case in which the Court held that a district court’s dismissal of a lawsuit counts as a “strike” for the purpose of the Prison Litigation Reform Act’s “three strikes” provision when the case is pending on appeal.
A case in which the Court held that the lack of a detailed explanation for a denial of a visa application does not violate the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
A case in which the Court determined that evidence of disparate impact is sufficient to allege a claim that the defendant violated the Fair Housing Act.
A case in which the Court held that the use of a K-9 unit at the conclusion of an otherwise lawful traffic stop constituted an unreasonable search and seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
A case that determines whether or not a private right of action exists under the Medicaid Act.
A case in which the Court held that a rule prohibiting judicial candidates from personally soliciting campaign funds does not violate the First Amendment.
A case in which the Court held that claims that would normally be adjudicated by an Article III court can be adjudicated in a non-Article III court as long as the parties knowingly and voluntarily consent.
The Government must prove the connection between a state drug paraphernalia conviction and a substance listed in the Controlled Substances Act to trigger deportability under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The Wartime Suspension of Limitations Act's statute of limitations tolling provision does not apply to claims of civil fraud brought by private parties. The False Claims Act's "first-to-file bar" keeps new claims out of court only while related claims are still alive, but not in perpetuity.
A case in which the Court held that judicial review of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s efforts at conciliation is appropriate, but such review must be limited to the narrow requirements that Title VII imposes.
A case in which the Court decided that extra restrictions placed on signs describing the location of nonprofit events do not survive strict scrutiny and are therefore unconstitutional.
A case in which the Court held that the Natural Gas Act does not pre-empt state law claims brought by litigants who purchased gas in retail transactions.
A case in which the Court held that the statutes of limitations provisions of the Federal Tort Claims Act are subject to equitable tolling.
A case in which the Court ruled that a dismissed claim is immediately appealable if the claim is part of a consolidated action and no final order has been issued concerning all claims in the action.
A case in which the Court held that, in evaluating whether a tax is discriminatory under the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1974, courts may consider competitors an appropriate comparison class and must examine the tax code as a whole rather than solely the challenged provision.
A case in which the Court held that for purposes of the validity of metrics and standards, Amtrak is a governmental entity.
A case in which the Court held that the Tax Injunction Act does not prevent federal court review of state tax laws, unless such review could restrict the ability of the state to assess or collect its own taxes.
A case in which the Court held that the Pregnancy Discrimination Act requires courts to consider whether an employer’s policies treat pregnant workers less favorably than non-pregnant workers with similar inabilities to work and whether there are legitimate reasons for such differences.
A case in which the Court held that "trademark tacking" is a mixed question of fact and law to be decided by the jury.
A case in which the Court held that a decision on an issue by an administrative agency can preclude re-litigation of that issue in federal court.
A case in which the Court held that forced accompaniment during the commission of a crime occurs when a person requires another to “go with” him, even when that movement occurs over a short distance.
A case in which the Court ruled that federal agencies do not need to engage in a notice-and-comment procedure before significantly altering an interpretation of a rule of agency regulation.
A case in which the Court found that in order to violate the transmission of threats provision, the threat requires both an objective and subjective intent.
A case in which the Court held that the dormant Commerce Clause prohibits the operation of Maryland’s tax scheme because it discriminates against interstate commerce.
A case in which the Court held that states may not substitute their own extraneous goals for the traditional goals of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 when redrawing electoral districts.
A case in which the Court held that the Telecommunications Act of 1996 does not require localities to provide reasons for their denial of construction applications in the written denial notification as long as the reasons appear in some other sufficiently clear written record.
A case in which the Court ruled that collective bargaining agreements should always be interpreted according to ordinary principles of contract law.
A case in which the Court determined that the residual clause of the Armed Criminal Career Act is unconstitutionally vague.
A case in which the Court ruled that a “tangible item” as defined by Section 1519 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act is one used to record or preserve information.
A case in which the Court ruled that the Truth in Lending Act allows a borrower to rescind a loan by notifying the creditor within the three-year time frame, even though a lawsuit has not yet been filed.
A case in which the Court ruled that the Whistleblower Protection Act bars an agency from taking enforcement action against employees who intentionally disclose sensitive security information.
A case in which the Court held that a federal statute directing the Secretary of State to record the birthplace of a citizen born in Jerusalem as “Israel” if requested to do so impermissibly infringed on the President’s power to recognize foreign states.
A case in which the Court ruled that a statement of opinion, even if shown to be objectively false, cannot constitute an untrue statement of fact because of the different nature between opinions and facts.
A case in which the Court ruled that a federal appellate court can only overturn a district court’s finding of fact if those findings were determined to be “clearly erroneous.”
A case in which the Court held that a federal habeas petitioner who prevailed in district court does not need to file a separate certificate of appealability to respond to the state's appeal.
A case in which the Court ruled that when a state agency is operated by market participants who are elected by other market participants, the agency is a private actor and subject to federal antitrust laws.
A case in which the Court ruled that Nebraska violated a compact apportioning the water resources of the Republican River among Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado.
A case in which the Court held that the Federal Rule of Evidence 606(b) bars the testimony of a juror regarding statements made during deliberations for the purpose of showing alleged dishonesty by a prospective juror during jury selection.
A case in which the Court ruled that employees of Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc. could not be compensated for time spent passing through security checkpoints, because the checkpoints were not integral to their principal duties as employees.
A case in which the Court held that the Department of Corrections' grooming policy violated an inmate's right to religious exercise.
A case in which the Court ruled that a defendant seeking removal of a case to federal court is not required to provide evidence supporting federal jurisdiction in the notice of removal.
A case in which the Court decided that search and seizures are acceptable if a police officer made a reasonable factual or legal mistake.