Category: Supreme Court Decisions

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its first decision of the term. In OBB Personenverkehr AG v. Sachs, (2015), the Court unanimously held that the doctrine of sovereign immunity barred a California woman’s lawsuit against the Austrian nationa...

In Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. v. Sandoz, Inc. 574 U.S. __ (2015), the U.S. Supreme Court addressed the legal standard that the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals must apply when considering the construction of a patent claim. By a vote of 7-2, the ...

The U.S. Supreme Court recently granted certiorari in Zubik v. Burwell, in which the justices will again consider the lawfulness of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) contraceptive mandate. The issue before the Court in Zubik v. Burwell thi...

Establishing Pregnancy Discrimination In Young v. United Parcel Service, Inc. 575 U.S. __ (2015); 135 S.Ct. 1338 (2015), the U.S. Supreme Court addressed what types of accommodations employers must make for pregnant workers. The employee-friendly de...

Examining abortion in Whole Woman's Health v. Cole The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari this month in Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole. The case, which revolves around the constitutionality of abortion restrictions imposed by the State of...

In Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972), the U.S. Supreme Court held that a Wisconsin law mandating that children attend school violated the First Amendment. In the landmark decision, the unanimous Court held that the parents’ Freedom of Religio...

The U.S. Supreme Court ended the week last week granting certiorari in Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole, their first case involving abortion since 2007. In addition, they heard argument on the following cases, summarized below: Green v. Bren...

In Mapp v. Ohio, 367 US 643 (1961), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that evidence obtained through a search in violation of the Fourth Amendment could not be used as evidence in a state criminal case. The decision relied on the doctrine of selective inc...

The U.S. Supreme Court started its November sitting this week. The justices heard oral arguments in six cases. In addition to an important case involving Article III standing, the Court also considered several criminal law issues. Below is a...

In United States v. O'Brien, 391 U.S. 367 (1968), the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a federal law that made burning or otherwise destroying draft cards a crime. In so ruling, the Court established a test for determining whether l...