Recent Decisions
Mckesson v. Doe (November 2, 2020)
Supreme Court vacates a Fifth Circuit holding that the First Amendment does not bar tort liability for a violent incident during a protest; certification of state tort law questions to the Louisiana Supreme Court is advisable.
Taylor v. Riojas (November 2, 2020)
Supreme Court vacates a grant of qualified immunity: No reasonable correctional officer could have concluded that the confinement of an inmate, for several days, in a cell filled with sewage, was constitutionally permissible.
Trump v. Vance (July 9, 2020)
With regard to a state subpoena for his private papers, a President stands in “nearly the same situation with any other individual.”
Trump v. Mazars USA, LLP (July 9, 2020)
Lower courts did not adequately consider separation of powers concerns implicated by congressional subpoenas for the President’s personal financial information.
McGirt v. Oklahoma (July 9, 2020)
Land reserved for the Creek Nation remains "Indian Country" so that crimes committed on that land must be prosecuted in federal court under the Major Crimes Act.
Latest Supreme Court News
Argument analysis: Complex retroactivity issues divide justices in jury-unanimity case
SCOTUSblog,
The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Wednesday in the case of Thedrick Edwards, a Louisiana man serving a life sentence for his role in a series of crimes in 2006. The jury that convicted Edwards, who is Black, was not unanimous; the lone Black juror voted to acquit him. In April 2020, the Supreme…
Argument analysis: Justices struggle to define boundaries of Anti-Injunction Act
SCOTUSblog,
The Supreme Court in Tuesday’s argument in CIC Services v. Internal Revenue Service tried to clarify the scope of the Anti-Injunction Act, which generally prohibits lawsuits seeking to block the assessment or collection of a tax. The case specifically asks whether a company can sue to block the enforcement of an IRS notice that imposes…
Supreme Court Weighs Sweep of Its Ruling on Non-Unanimous Jury Verdicts
The New York Times,
If a decision from April is made retroactive, thousands of inmates in Louisiana, Oregon and Puerto Rico may be entitled to new trials.
The Supreme Court Was Right to Block Cuomo’s Religious Restrictions
The New York Times,
The balance between Covid-19 precautions and civil liberties doesn’t need to be a partisan issue.
Press Release Regarding January Oral Argument Session
Supreme Court of the United States,
Mandatory Vaccination and the Future of Abortion Rights
Justia's Verdict,
In light of recent news that Pfizer and Moderna have apparently created safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19, Cornell law professor Michael C. Dorf considers whether the government can mandate vaccination for people who lack a valid medical reason not to get vaccinated. Dorf briefly addresses issues of federalism and religious objections to vaccination and then addresses the question whether mandatory vaccination might be inconsistent with a right to abortion.
Current Supreme Court Justices
Chief Justice of the United States
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Photos of the justices courtesy of the Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States
