Recently Decided Supreme Court Cases
Divided court backs power plants in Clean Water Act case (April 1, 2009)
A divided Supreme Court ruled today that the government may undertake a cost-benefit analysis in deciding whether to institute new regulations on power plants to protect aquatic life. More...
Justices find that government should pay lawyers for clemency work (April 1, 2009)
Poor death row inmates seeking clemency have a right to federal taxpayer-funded lawyers, the Supreme Court ruled today. More...
Sharply divided court backs arbitration in job bias dispute (April 1, 2009)
A Supreme Court divided along ideological lines ruled today that a union contract forfeiting members’ right to bring workplace discrimination claims is enforceable. More...
Justices uphold conviction in peremptory challenge case (March 31, 2009)
A unanimous Supreme Court upheld a murder conviction even though the defense counsel sought to exclude a juror by making a peremptory challenge, but the juror was seated anyway. More...
Unanimous court backs Hawaii in ceded lands case (March 31, 2009)
A unanimous Supreme Court held today that the state of Hawaii could sell 1.2 million acres of state land without resolving prior claims to that land by native Hawaiians. More...
Court backs government in plea agreement case (March 25, 2009)
The Supreme Court held today that a defendant may not withdraw a guilty plea even though a prosecutor violated a plea bargain when the violation was not challenged during at trial. More...
Justices overturn another ineffective assistance of counsel ruling (March 24, 2009)
The Supreme Court held today that a convicted murderer in California did not deserve a new trial after his attorney abandoned an insanity defense. More...
Court backs consumer in local credit card dispute (March 9, 2009)
The Supreme Court held today that federal courts have jurisdiction in a lawsuit seeking to enforce an arbitration agreement under state law. More...
Justices overturn Vermont decision in speedy trial case (March 9, 2009)
The Supreme Court ruled today that delays caused by a public defender do not violate a defendant’s right to a speedy trial. More...
Divided court declines to expand Voting Rights Act (March 9, 2009)
In a decision that could have a significant impact on state redistricting plans following the 2010 census, a sharply-divided Supreme Court held that minority voters don’t qualify for a key protectio More...
