Recently Decided Supreme Court Cases
Justices back enhanced sentencing requirements (April 29, 2009)
The Supreme Court held today that a federal law imposing an enhanced sentence for firing a gun during a drug crime or other violent crime applies even if the gun was fired accidentally or involunta More...
Court rules against defendant in Sixth Amendment undercover informant case (April 29, 2009)
The Supreme Court held today that a prosecutor may use a defendant’s statements made to an undercover informant to refute the defendant’s testimony at trial. More...
Justices rule for death-row inmate (April 28, 2009)
The Supreme Court ruled today that federal courts can consider issues that state courts have dismissed on state procedural grounds. More...
Divided court upholds FCC indecency fines (April 28, 2009)
A Supreme Court divided 5-4 along familiar ideological lines upheld the Federal Communications Commission’s ban on the use of fleeting expletives in live television broadcasts. More...
Justices make it easier to fight deportation (April 22, 2009)
The Supreme Court today sided with an illegal immigrant in a case weighing the standard for barring deportation pending judicial review. More...
Divided court limits warrantless vehicle searches (April 21, 2009)
The Supreme Court today put new limits on what conditions police must meet to conduct a warrantless search of vehicle once the occupants have been arrested. More...
Court backs VA in veteran benefits case (April 21, 2009)
The Supreme Court held today that the Department of Veterans Affairs is not liable if it fails to adequately inform a veteran of the information needed to process a benefits claim. More...
Justices rule against victim's brother in Iran compensation case (April 21, 2009)
The Supreme Court today ruled that the brother of a murdered dissident cannot collect $2.8 million in damages from the Iranian government in compensation for the death. More...
Divided court holds that delayed voluntary confessions may be suppressed (April 6, 2009)
A divided Supreme Court found that a voluntary confession made after a suspect’s arrest on federal charges but before he appears before a magistrate must be suppressed when there was a delay before More...
Justices rule against Navajo in coal royalty appeal (April 6, 2009)
A unanimous Supreme Court reversed for a second time an appeals court decision in favor of the Navajo Nation in an ongoing conflict over the royalty rate for coal mined on Navajo land. More...
