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June 30, 2025 | Supreme Court Rejects Moment of Threat Doctrine in Deadly Force Case
Tag: Constitutional Law
What’s On Tap: Arizona Church Claims Sign Ordinance Violates First Amendment
Religion is set to reclaim center stage when the U.S. Supreme Court’s new term begins this fall. One of the cases to watch is Reed v. Town of Gilbert. The case involves whether an Arizona town’s sign ordinance violates the First Amendment by rest...
Plumhoff v. Rickard: When Is Police Use of Deadly Force Justified?
In Plumhoff v. Rickard, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed what type of law enforcement conduct rises to the level of “excessive force in violation of the Constitution. The 2014 decision may play a role in whether the Ferguson, Missouri police office...
What’s on Tap: Same-Sex Marriage Returns to Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court may finally address the Constitutional right to same-sex marriage when its next term begins in October. Petitions challenging state laws in Utah, Virginia, and Oklahoma await the justices’ consideration. If the justices ag...
Abramski v. United States: Supreme Court Rules Against Straw Purchaser in Gun Case
While the U.S. Supreme Court has not issued a ground breaking gun rights case since District of Columbia v. Heller, it continues to refine the scope of Second Amendment protection. The Court’s October 2013 session was no exception. In Abramski v. U...
McCullen v. Coakley: Court Strikes Down Abortion Clinic Buffer Zone
In McCullen v. Coakley, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Massachusetts law establishing “buffer zones” around reproductive health care facilities violates the First Amendment. The justices concluded that even though the restriction is content ...
National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning: Supreme Court Limits Recess Appointment Power
President Barack Obama exceeded the recess appointment power granted under the U.S. Constitution when he appointed three members to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), according to the unanimous opinion of the Supreme Court. The decision marke...
Lane v. Franks: When Are Public Employees Entitled to First Amendment Protection?
The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued an important decision regarding the free speech rights of public employees. The unanimous First Amendment decision clarifies that employees are protected when providing court testimony about matters outside the ...
Clash of the Titans: Bush v. Gore
The upcoming Presidential election will likely be decided by a very narrow margin, but few Presidential elections will likely ever rival the epic battle between then Texas Governor George Bush and Vice President Al Gore. The 2000 presidential electio...
FCC v. Pacifica Foundation: The Supreme Court and “Filthy Words”
It is seldom that the Justices use foul language in an opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States, except when the case at issue is about foul language. FCC v. Pacifica Foundation v. Fox Television Stations centered on fines levied against Fox...
Baker v. Carr: The Most Important Voting Rights Decision of the Twentieth Century
The Supreme Court has issued several notable voting rights decisions over the past one hundred years. However, very few had the impact of Baker v. Carr. In fact, Justice Earl Warren chose Baker v. Carr—not Brown v. Board of Education—as the “mo...
Previous Articles
SCOTUS Holds Wire Fraud Statute Doesn’t Require Proof Victim Suffered Economic Loss
by DONALD SCARINCI on June 24, 2025
In Kousisis v. United States, 605 U.S. ____ (2025), the U.S. Supreme Court held that a defendant wh...
SCOTUS Holds Wire Fraud Statute Doesn’t Require Proof Victim Suffered Economic Loss
by DONALD SCARINCI on June 17, 2025
In Kousisis v. United States, 605 U.S. ____ (2025), the U.S. Supreme Court held that a defendant wh...
SCOTUS Considers Birthright Citizenship
by DONALD SCARINCI on June 13, 2025
On May 15, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trump v. CASA, Inc., Trump v. Washi...
