Tag: Supreme Court

In Omnicare v. Laborers Dist. Council, 135 S. Ct. 1318 (2015), the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933, which addresses the liability for statements of opinion that had divided the Federal Courts of appeal....

In Boumediene v. Bush, 553 U.S. 723 (2008), the U.S. Supreme Court addressed the rights of foreign citizens detained at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. By a vote of 5-4, the Court held that in Boumediene v. Bush the detainees ha...

The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) kicked off its new term on October 5, 2015 and filled about 2/3 of its docket. In total, SCOTUS  granted certiorari in thirteen new cases during its September 28 long conference, bringing the docket to 47.  Last term th...

In NFIB v. Sebelius, 567 US __ (2012), the U.S. Supreme Court considered its first constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act. By a vote of 5-4, the Court held that the statute’s “individual mandate” provision was a valid exercise of C...

In Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle, 551 U.S. 701 (2007), a divided U.S. Supreme Court held that public school districts can’t use race as the sole determining factor for assigning students to schools, even if they are doing so to a...

Ayotte v Planned Parenthood of Northern New England 546 U.S. 320 (2006), is the parental notification of abortion case that many had hoped would overturn Roe v. Wade. Instead, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to revisit the legality of abortion in A...

In Washington v. Davis, 426 U.S. 229 (1976), the U.S. Supreme Court established that racially discriminatory laws are only unconstitutional if they have both a discriminatory purpose and a discriminatory impact. As explained by Justice Byron White...

In Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1(1976), the U.S. Supreme Court held that while campaign contribution limits implicate First Amendment interests, they withstand constitutional scrutiny so long as they are closely drawn to serve a sufficiently impor...

In Murray v. Schooner Charming Betsy 6 U.S.64, 2 L.Ed.208 (1804), Chief Justice John Marshall stated that “an act of Congress ought never to be construed to violate the law of nations if any other possible construction remains.” This early Su...

The Supreme Court’s new term begins on October 5, 2015. One of the first cases the justices will consider is Hurst v. Florida. The case raises several questions about the constitutionality of Florida’s capital punishment scheme, particularly the...