U.S. Supreme Court Case Commentaries

Cuomo v. Clearing House: Clarifying the Scope of 'Visitorial Powers' under the National Bank Act

Date: Jun 30, 2009

Cuomo v. Clearing House: Clarifying the Scope of 'Visitorial Powers' under the National Bank Act Introduction Background: In 2005, Eliot Spitzer, then Attorney General of New York, initiated an...

FLORES v. ARIZONA: Supreme Court Clarifies Broad Scope of Rule 60(b)(5) Relief in Equal Educational Opportunities Cases

Date: Jun 26, 2009

FLORES v. ARIZONA: Supreme Court Clarifies Broad Scope of Rule 60(b)(5) Relief in Equal Educational Opportunities Cases Introduction FLORES v. ARIZONA, 557 U.S. 433 (2009), is a landmark decision by...

Punitive Damages Under General Maritime Law for Willful Denial of Maintenance and Cure: Insights from Atlantic Sounding Co. v. Townsend

Date: Jun 26, 2009

Punitive Damages Under General Maritime Law for Willful Denial of Maintenance and Cure: Insights from Atlantic Sounding Co. v. Townsend Introduction Atlantic Sounding Co., Inc., et al., v. Edgar L....

Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts: A Landmark Expansion of the Sixth Amendment's Confrontation Clause

Date: Jun 26, 2009

Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts: A Landmark Expansion of the Sixth Amendment's Confrontation Clause Introduction Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts (557 U.S. 305, 2009) marks a significant turning point...

Safford Unified School District v. April Redding: Defining Fourth Amendment Protections in School Strip Searches

Date: Jun 26, 2009

Safford Unified School District v. April Redding: Defining Fourth Amendment Protections in School Strip Searches Introduction In the landmark case of Safford Unified School District #1, et al. v....

Supreme Court Reinterprets Rule 60(b)(5) Application in EEOA Compliance: Horne v. Flores

Date: Jun 26, 2009

Supreme Court Reinterprets Rule 60(b)(5) Application in EEOA Compliance: Horne v. Flores Introduction The case of Thomas C. Horne, Superintendent, Arizona Public Instruction, Petitioner, v. Miriam...

Horne v. Flores: Supreme Court Sets New Precedent on Rule 60(b)(5) Relief in EEOA Educational Equity Cases

Date: Jun 26, 2009

Horne v. Flores: Supreme Court Sets New Precedent on Rule 60(b)(5) Relief in EEOA Educational Equity Cases Introduction The landmark case Thomas C. Horne, Superintendent, Arizona Public Instruction,...

Expanding Bailout Eligibility under the Voting Rights Act: Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. 1 v. Holder

Date: Jun 23, 2009

Expanding Bailout Eligibility under the Voting Rights Act: Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. 1 v. Holder Introduction The Supreme Court case Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District...

Coeur Alaska v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council: Affirming Corps Authority over Fill Material Discharges under the Clean Water Act

Date: Jun 23, 2009

Coeur Alaska v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council: Affirming Corps Authority over Fill Material Discharges under the Clean Water Act Introduction Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska...

Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council: Defining Permitting Authority Under the Clean Water Act

Date: Jun 23, 2009

Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council: Defining Permitting Authority Under the Clean Water Act Introduction Case Citation: Coeur Alaska, Inc., Petitioner, v. Southeast Alaska...

Forest Grove School District v. T.A.: Expanding Reimbursement Under IDEA

Date: Jun 23, 2009

Forest Grove School District v. T.A.: Expanding Reimbursement Under IDEA Introduction Forest Grove School District v. T.A., 557 U.S. 230 (2009), is a landmark decision by the United States Supreme...

Supreme Court Expands 'Bailout' Eligibility to All Political Subdivisions Under Voting Rights Act

Date: Jun 23, 2009

Supreme Court Expands 'Bailout' Eligibility to All Political Subdivisions Under Voting Rights Act Introduction In the landmark case of Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One v. Eric...

Supreme Court Affirms Corps of Engineers' Authority Over EPA in Clean Water Act Permitting

Date: Jun 23, 2009

Supreme Court Affirms Corps of Engineers' Authority Over EPA in Clean Water Act Permitting Introduction The case of Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council et al., decided on June...

But-For Causation Standard Established for ADEA Claims in GROSS v. FBL FINANCIAL Services

Date: Jun 19, 2009

But-For Causation Standard Established for ADEA Claims in GROSS v. FBL FINANCIAL Services Introduction In the landmark case of Jack GROSS v. FBL FINANCIAL Services, Inc., 557 U.S. 167 (2009), the...

Supreme Court Upholds Enforcement of Bankruptcy Court Injunctions in Travelers Indemnity Case

Date: Jun 19, 2009

Supreme Court Upholds Enforcement of Bankruptcy Court Injunctions in Travelers Indemnity Case Introduction In the landmark case The Travelers Indemnity Company, et al. v. Pearlie Bailey et al., 557...

Yeager v. United States: Reinforcing Double Jeopardy Protections Amid Hung Jury Counts

Date: Jun 19, 2009

Yeager v. United States: Reinforcing Double Jeopardy Protections Amid Hung Jury Counts Introduction F. Scott Yeager v. United States, 557 U.S. 110 (2009), is a pivotal Supreme Court decision that...

Supreme Court Upholds State Procedures for Postconviction DNA Access, Rejecting a Freestanding Constitutional Right

Date: Jun 19, 2009

Supreme Court Upholds State Procedures for Postconviction DNA Access, Rejecting a Freestanding Constitutional Right Introduction The landmark case of District Attorney's Office for the Third Judicial...

Yeager v. United States (2009): Clarifying the Double Jeopardy Clause in Multi-Count Trials

Date: Jun 19, 2009

Yeager v. United States (2009): Clarifying the Double Jeopardy Clause in Multi-Count Trials Introduction Yeager v. United States is a landmark 2009 decision by the United States Supreme Court that...

Finality of Bankruptcy Court Injunctions: Travelers Indemnity Co. v. Bailey

Date: Jun 19, 2009

Finality of Bankruptcy Court Injunctions: Travelers Indemnity Co. v. Bailey Introduction Travelers Indemnity Co. et al. v. Pearlie Bailey et al., 557 U.S. 137 (2009), addressed a critical issue in...

Access to DNA Evidence Post-Conviction: Supreme Court Reaffirms Legislative Primacy

Date: Jun 19, 2009

Access to DNA Evidence Post-Conviction: Supreme Court Reaffirms Legislative Primacy Introduction In the landmark case of District Attorney's Office for the Third Judicial District et al. v. Osborne...