Month: March 2012

GRISWOLD V. CONNECTICUT APPEAL FROM THE SUPREME COURT OF ERRORS OF CONNECTICUT No. 496 Argued: March 29-30, 1965 --- Decided: June 7, 1965 Cite as: 381 U.S. 479 MR. JUSTICE DOUGLAS delivered the opinion of the Court. Appellant Griswold is E...

Supreme Court decisions remain relevant long after they are decided, often setting legal precedent for years and even decades. The landmark decision of Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965), is a perfect example. Vice President Joe Biden refe...

UNITED STATES  v. JONES CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT No. 10–1259. Argued November 8, 2011—Decided January 23, 2012 Cite as: 565 U. S. ____ (2012) The Government obtained a sea...

In U.S. v. Jones, the Supreme Court was called upon to interpret the Fourth Amendment of the constitution when police used global positioning technology to fight crime. The issue before the Court was whether attaching a GPS device to a vehicle and t...

The U.S. Supreme Court recently considered whether corporations could be sued in the United States for alleged involvement in human rights abuses overseas. The case has important legal implications for U.S. businesses with operations around the globe...

MARTEL, WARDEN V. CLAIR Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit No. 10–1265. Argued December 6, 2011—Decided March 5, 2012 Cite as: 565 U. S. ____ (2012) Respondent Clair was charged with capital murde...

When drafting legislation, Congress frequently forgets some very important details, leaving the courts to decipher what they really meant to do (referred to as “legislative intent”). The Supreme Court recently tackled this problem in Martel v. C...

PPL MONTANA LLC v. MONTANA CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME COURT OF MONTANA No. 10–218. Argued December 7, 2011—Decided February 22, 2012 Cite as: 565 U. S. ____ (2012) Petitioner PPL Montana, LLC (PPL), owns and operates hy...

A recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court has thwarted efforts by the state of Montana to gain title to certain riverbeds. To understand the decision, one has to know a little legal history. In fact, the opinion cites a number of historical sources...