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November 18, 2024 | SCOTUS Hears Oral Arguments in Four Cases
Category: Supreme Court Decisions
Zemel v. Rusk: Supreme Court Upholds Travel Restrictions
The Ebola scare has raised questions regarding the legal authority of the United States government to institute travel bans from countries in West Africa. In Zemel v. Rusk, the U.S. Supreme Court held that travel restrictions, if made in a non-discri...
Did Purcell v. Gonzalez Force the Supreme Court to Green Light the Texas Voter ID Law?
After a federal judge the concluded the Texas voter identification law placed an unconstitutional burden on the rights of minority voters, the U.S. Supreme Court inexplicably issued an emergency order giving it the green light. While the justices may...
Jacobson v. Massachusetts: The State’s Authority to Impose Quarantines
New York and New Jersey are currently imposing mandatory quarantines to stop the spread of Ebola. The U.S. Supreme first recognized the authority of the states to exercise their police power to protect the public health in 1905. The case, Jacobson v....
Kansas v. Nebraska and Colorado: A Lesson in Original Jurisdiction
The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in Kansas v. Nebraska and Colorado, which involves a tri-state dispute over water rights to the Republican River. While the subject matter of the suit largely boils down to a very high-profile ...
Vacco v. Quill: The Right to Die and the U.S. Constitution
The planned death of a 29-year-old California woman with brain cancer has placed the legality of “death with dignity” laws back in the spotlight. Brittany Maynard, who moved to Oregon where physician assisted suicide is legal, is using her remain...
What’s on Tap: Court to Decide Fate of Arizona’s Non-Partisan Redistricting Method
The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to take on Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, which involves a legal challenge to Arizona’s method of redrawing Congressional districts every ten years. The Court’s ru...
Loving v. Virginia: The Court’s Last Key Marriage Decision
As momentum builds for the U.S Supreme Court to address the legality of same-sex marriage bans, it is fitting to discuss the Court’s 1966 decision in Loving v. Virginia. By a unanimous vote, the justices struck down a Virginia law prohibiting inter...
What’s on Tap: Supreme Court to Take Up Israeli Passport Controversy
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide an important U.S. foreign relations case next term. Zivotofsky v. Kerry involves whether the power to recognize foreign states and governments is exclusive to the President; or, as in this case, Congress also h...
What’s On Tap? The Supreme Court to Address Fourth Amendment Implications of Police Officer Mistake
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider an important Fourth Amendment case involving a police officer’s mistake of law. Given that law enforcement is not infallible, the decision in Heien v. North Carolina could have significant consequences....
De Jonge v. Oregon: The Right to Peaceable Assemble
In De Jonge v. Oregon, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that the right to peaceable assembly is equally as important as the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. The decision also highlights that the right to engage in political discussion ...
Previous Articles
SCOTUS to Consider High-Profile Transgender Rights Case in December
by DONALD SCARINCI on November 12, 2024
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in United States v. Skrmetti on December 4, 2024. T...
SCOTUS Clarifies Standard for Retaliatory Arrest Claims
by DONALD SCARINCI on November 5, 2024
In Gonzalez v. Trevino, 602 U.S. ___ (2024), the U.S. Supreme Court held that plaintiffs are not re...
Supreme Court Clarifies Application of Confrontation Clause to Forensic Analysis
by DONALD SCARINCI on October 28, 2024
In Smith v. Arizona, 602 U.S. ____ (2024), the U.S. Supreme Court held that when an expert conveys ...
