U.S. Supreme Court Case Commentaries

Tribal Sovereign Immunity Affirmed in Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community

Date: May 28, 2014

Tribal Sovereign Immunity Affirmed in Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community Introduction In the landmark case of Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community, the United States Supreme Court revisited the...

Defining Intellectual Disability in Capital Cases: Insights from Hall v. Florida

Date: May 28, 2014

Defining Intellectual Disability in Capital Cases: Insights from Hall v. Florida Introduction Freddie Lee Hall v. Florida, 572 U.S. 701 (2014), is a landmark decision by the United States Supreme...

Qualified Immunity Confirmed for Secret Service in First Amendment Viewpoint Discrimination Case

Date: May 28, 2014

Qualified Immunity Confirmed for Secret Service in First Amendment Viewpoint Discrimination Case Introduction In Tim Wood and Rob Sa v. GE, 134 S. Ct. 2056 (2014), the United States Supreme Court...

Qualified Immunity and the Use of Deadly Force in High-Speed Chases: Insights from Plumhoff v. Rickard

Date: May 28, 2014

Qualified Immunity and the Use of Deadly Force in High-Speed Chases: Insights from Plumhoff v. Rickard Introduction Officer Vance PLUMHOFF, et al., Petitioners v. Whitne RICKARD, a Minor Child, Indi...

Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: Limiting the Laches Defense in Copyright Infringement Cases

Date: May 20, 2014

Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: Limiting the Laches Defense in Copyright Infringement Cases Introduction Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Inc., et al., 572 U.S. 663 (2014), is a landmark case...

Reaffirming Summary Judgment Standards in Qualified Immunity: Tolan v. Cotton

Date: May 6, 2014

Reaffirming Summary Judgment Standards in Qualified Immunity: Tolan v. Cotton Introduction Tolan v. Cotton is a significant United States Supreme Court decision that addresses the application of...

Affirming Legislative Prayer: Town of Greece Upholds Traditional Practices under the Establishment Clause

Date: May 6, 2014

Affirming Legislative Prayer: Town of Greece Upholds Traditional Practices under the Establishment Clause Introduction The Supreme Court case, Town of Greece, New York, Petitioner v. Susan Galloway...

Interpreting "Returned Property" under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act: Robers v. United States

Date: May 6, 2014

Interpreting "Returned Property" under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act: Robers v. United States Introduction Benjamin Robers, the petitioner, was convicted of submitting fraudulent mortgage...

EPA v. EME Homer City Generation: Upholding Cost-Effective Emission Allocation under the Clean Air Act

Date: Apr 30, 2014

EPA v. EME Homer City Generation: Upholding Cost-Effective Emission Allocation under the Clean Air Act Introduction The Supreme Court case Environmental Protection Agency et al. v. EME Homer City...

Highmark Inc. v. Allcare Health Management System: Establishing Abuse of Discretion for §285 Exceptional-Case Determinations

Date: Apr 30, 2014

Highmark Inc. v. Allcare Health Management System: Establishing Abuse of Discretion for §285 Exceptional-Case Determinations Introduction In Highmark Inc. v. Allcare Health Management System, Inc.,...

Supreme Court Affirms EPA's Cost-Based Emission Allocation under the Good Neighbor Provision

Date: Apr 30, 2014

Supreme Court Affirms EPA's Cost-Based Emission Allocation under the Good Neighbor Provision Introduction In the landmark case Environmental Protection Agency et al. v. EME Homer City Generation,...

EPA's Transport Rule Upheld: Cost-Effective Allocation of Emission Reductions Established

Date: Apr 30, 2014

EPA's Transport Rule Upheld: Cost-Effective Allocation of Emission Reductions Established Introduction In Environmental Protection Agency et al. v. EME Homer City Generation, L.P., et al.; and...

Supreme Court Upholds EPA's Transport Rule Under the Clean Air Act's Good Neighbor Provision

Date: Apr 30, 2014

Supreme Court Upholds EPA's Transport Rule Under the Clean Air Act's Good Neighbor Provision Introduction On April 29, 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States delivered a pivotal decision in...

Octane Fitness v. Icon Health & Fitness: Redefining "Exceptional Cases" Under 35 U.S.C. § 285

Date: Apr 30, 2014

Octane Fitness v. Icon Health & Fitness: Redefining "Exceptional Cases" Under 35 U.S.C. § 285 Introduction The Supreme Court case Octane Fitness, LLC v. Icon Health & Fitness, Inc., 572 U.S. 545...

Woodall v. White: Supreme Court Refines Fifth Amendment Protections in Penalty Phase

Date: Apr 24, 2014

Woodall v. White: Supreme Court Refines Fifth Amendment Protections in Penalty Phase Introduction Woodall v. White (572 U.S. 415, 2014) is a significant Supreme Court decision that addresses the...

Paroline v. United States: Proximate Causation in §2259 Restitution

Date: Apr 24, 2014

Paroline v. United States: Proximate Causation in §2259 Restitution Introduction Doyle Randall Paroline v. United States et al. (572 U.S. 434, 2014) is a landmark United States Supreme Court case...

Schuette v. BAMN: Upholding Voter-Controlled Race Preferences in University Admissions

Date: Apr 23, 2014

Schuette v. BAMN: Upholding Voter-Controlled Race Preferences in University Admissions Introduction Schuette v. BAMN, 572 U.S. 291 (2014), presents a pivotal Supreme Court decision addressing the...

Reliability of Anonymous 911 Tips in Fourth Amendment Traffic Stops

Date: Apr 23, 2014

Reliability of Anonymous 911 Tips in Fourth Amendment Traffic Stops Introduction In the landmark case Lorenzo Prado Navarette and José Prado Navarette v. California (572 U.S. 393, 2014), the United...

McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission: Redefining Campaign Finance Limits under the First Amendment

Date: Apr 3, 2014

McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission: Redefining Campaign Finance Limits under the First Amendment Introduction McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, 572 U.S. 185 (2014), represents a...

ADA Preemption of Implied Covenant of Good Faith in Airline Contracts

Date: Apr 3, 2014

ADA Preemption of Implied Covenant of Good Faith in Airline Contracts Introduction Northwest, Inc., et al. v. Rabbi S. Binyomin Ginsberg, 572 U.S. 273 (2014), is a landmark United States Supreme...