On July 8, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania and Trump v. Pennsylvania, holding that the Department of Health and Human Services validly created...more
7/9/2020
/ Administrative Authority ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Appeals ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employer Rights ,
HRSA ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v Pennsylvania ,
Religious Exemption ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump v Pennsylvania ,
U.S. Treasury
On June 1, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico v. Aurelius Investment, LLC, holding that the Appointments Clause of the Constitution does not restrict the appointment...more
6/2/2020
/ Appeals ,
Appointments Clause ,
Aurelius Investment LLC v Puerto Rico ,
Board Members ,
Chapter 9 ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Creditors ,
De Facto Officer Doctrine ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Municipal Bankruptcy ,
Puerto Rico ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
State and Local Government
On April 27, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, Inc., holding that the annotations to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated are not eligible for copyright protection because the annotations...more
4/28/2020
/ Annotated Case Law ,
Appeals ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyrightable Subject Matter ,
Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org Inc ,
Government Edicts Doctrine ,
Legislative Duties ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Statutory Code ,
The Copyright Act
On June 27, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Mitchell v. Wisconsin, No. 18-6210, holding that the exigent-circumstances exception to the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement almost always permits a blood test without a...more
6/28/2019
/ Criminal Convictions ,
Drunk Driving ,
Exigent Circumstances ,
Fourth Amendment ,
Mitchell v Wisconsin ,
Motion To Suppress ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Search & Seizure ,
Vacated ,
Warrantless Searches ,
WI Supreme Court
On June 21, 2019, the United States Supreme Court decided Flowers v. Mississippi, No. 17-9572, holding that the state court committed clear error in concluding that the state’s peremptory strike of a black prospective juror...more
6/24/2019
/ Batson claim ,
Clear Error Standard ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Discriminatory Intent ,
Flowers v Mississippi ,
Murder ,
Peremptory Challenges ,
Race Discrimination ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS
On June 21, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Knick v. Township of Scott, Pennsylvania, No. 17-647, overruling Williams County Regional Planning Comm’n v. Hamilton Bank of Johnson City, 473 U.S. 172 (1985),...more
6/24/2019
/ 42 U.S.C. §1983 ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Fifth Amendment ,
Inverse Condemnation ,
Just Compensation ,
Knick v Township of Scott Pennsylvania ,
Precedential Opinion ,
Property Owners ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
State Law Remedies ,
Takings Clause
On June 20, 2019, the United States Supreme Court decided McDonough v. Smith, No. 18-485, holding that the statute of limitations for a fabricated-evidence claim under 42 U.S.C. §1983 begins to run when the criminal...more
6/21/2019
/ 42 U.S.C. §1983 ,
Acquittals ,
Appeals ,
Cause of Action Accrual ,
Common Law Claims ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
False Evidence ,
Loss of Liberty ,
Malicious Prosecution ,
McDonough v Smith ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Time-Barred Claims
On June 17, 2019, the United States Supreme Court decided Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck, No. 17-1702, holding that a private nonprofit corporation that operates the public-access channels on the cable system in...more
6/18/2019
/ Appeals ,
Cable Television Providers ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Independent Films ,
Manhattan Community Access Corp v Halleck ,
Nonprofits ,
Private Actors ,
Public Access Television ,
Public Forum ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
State Action Doctrine ,
State Actors ,
State Contracts ,
Suspensions ,
Time Warner ,
Viewpoint Discrimination
On June 10, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Parker Drilling Management Services, Ltd. v. Newton, No. 18-389, holding that state law does not apply to the Outer Continental Shelf when federal law addresses...more
6/11/2019
/ Appeals ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Enclave Rules ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Offshore Drilling ,
On-Call Employees ,
Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act ,
Parker Drilling Management Services Ltd v Newton ,
Preemption ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour
On June 3, 2019, the Supreme Court decided Taggart v. Lorenzen, No. 18-489, holding that a court may hold a creditor in civil contempt for violating a bankruptcy court’s discharge order as long as there is “no fair ground of...more
6/5/2019
/ Appeals ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP) ,
Bankruptcy Code § 524(a) ,
Bankruptcy Discharge Order ,
Chapter 7 ,
Civil Contempt Orders ,
Concurrent Litigation ,
Creditors ,
Dischargeable Debts ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Money Judgment ,
Reasonable Belief Test ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Standard of Review ,
Statutory Violations ,
Taggart v Lorenzen ,
Vacated
On June 3, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Fort Bend County, Texas v. Davis, No. 18-525, holding that the charge-filing precondition to suit of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is not a...more
6/5/2019
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Amended Complaints ,
Appeals ,
Charge-Filing Preconditions ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Forfeiture ,
Fort Bend County Texas v Davis ,
Jurisdictional Requirements ,
Mandatory Claim-Processing Rules ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Retaliation ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Time-Barred Claims ,
Title VII ,
Waiver Rule ,
Wrongful Termination
On May 20, 2019, the Supreme Court decided Mission Product Holdings, Inc. v. Tempnology, LLC, No. 17–1657, holding that a bankruptcy debtor’s rejection of an executory trademark license under § 365 of the Bankruptcy Court...more
5/22/2019
/ Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP) ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Breach of Contract ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Debtors ,
Exclusions ,
Executory Contracts ,
IP License ,
Mission Product Holdings Inc v Tempnology LLC ,
Rescission ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Section 365 ,
Split of Authority ,
Trademark Licenses ,
Trademarks ,
Trustees
On May 20, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Herrera v. Wyoming, No. 17-532, holding that hunting rights in modern-day Montana and Wyoming that the Crow Tribe of Indians acquired under its 1868 treaty with...more
5/21/2019
/ Abrogation ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Expiration Date ,
Herrera v Wyoming ,
Hunting ,
Hunting & Fishing Licenses ,
Issue Preclusion ,
National Parks ,
Native American Issues ,
Occupied Lands ,
Repudiation ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
States Rights ,
Treaties ,
Tribal Lands ,
Tribal Treaty Rights ,
Vacated
On May 13, 2019, the Supreme Court decided Franchise Tax Board of California v. Hyatt, No. 17-1299, holding that a private party may not sue a non-consenting state in another state’s courts.
In Nevada v. Hall, 440 U.S. 410...more
5/14/2019
/ Article III ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Franchise Tax Board of California v Hyatt ,
Judgment Creditors ,
Jury Verdicts ,
NV Supreme Court ,
Precedential Opinion ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
Stare Decisis ,
States Rights ,
Without Consent
On May 13, 2019, the Supreme Court decided Apple Inc. v. Pepper, No. 17-204, holding that iPhone owners who purchase apps from Apple’s App Store are “direct purchasers” from Apple and may sue Apple for alleged monopolization...more
5/14/2019
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Appeals ,
Apple Inc v Pepper ,
Class Action ,
Direct Purchasers ,
Dismissals ,
Internet Retailers ,
iPhone ,
Mobile Apps ,
Monopolization ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS
On May 13, 2019, the Supreme Court decided Cochise Consultancy, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Hunt, No. 18-315, holding that the limitations period in 31 U.S.C. § 3731(b)(2) applies to False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuits in which...more
5/14/2019
/ Appeals ,
Cause of Action Accrual ,
Cochise Consultancy Inc v United States ex rel Hunt ,
Dismissals ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Intervenors ,
Limitation Periods ,
Qui Tam ,
Reaffirmation ,
Relators ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Statute of Limitations
On April 29, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Thacker v. Tennessee Valley Authority, No. 17-1201, holding that the “sue-and-be-sued” clause that waives the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) sovereign...more
4/30/2019
/ Appeals ,
Discretionary Functions ,
Employee Misconduct ,
Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) ,
Government-Owned Corporation ,
Negligence ,
Public Utility ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
Sue-and-Be-Sued Clause ,
Thacker v Tennessee Valley Authority ,
Waivers
On April 24, 2019, the Supreme Court decided Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela, No. 17-988, holding that courts may not compel classwide arbitration based on an ambiguous agreement.
In 2016, a hacker tricked a Lamps Plus employee...more
4/25/2019
/ Ambiguous ,
Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Class Arbitration ,
Consent ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Jurisdiction ,
Lamps Plus Inc v Varela ,
Motion to Compel ,
Preemption ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS
On March 4, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Rimini Street, Inc. v. Oracle USA, Inc., No. 17-1625, holding that a court’s discretion under section 505 of the Copyright Act to award “full costs” to the...more
3/5/2019
/ Appeals ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Expert Fees ,
Judicial Discretion ,
Litigation Fees & Costs ,
Prevailing Party ,
Remand ,
Remedies ,
Reversal ,
Rimini Street Inc v Oracle USA Inc
On March 4, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States decided BNSF Railway Co. v. Loos, No. 17-1042, holding that a railroad’s payment to an employee for lost wages due to an on-the-job injury is taxable “compensation”...more
3/5/2019
/ Appeals ,
Back Pay ,
BNSF Railway ,
BNSF Railway Company v Loos ,
Compensation ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) ,
Lost Wages ,
Non-Taxable Income ,
Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA) ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Severance Pay ,
Taxable Income ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Injury
On June 14, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky, No. 16-1435, holding that Minnesota’s ban on the wearing of political apparel in the polling place violates the Free Speech...more
6/15/2018
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Minnesota Voters Alliance v Mansky ,
Non-Public Forum ,
Political Apparel Ban ,
Polling Place ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Viewpoint Discrimination
On June 14, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Animal Science Products, Inc. v. Hebei Welcome Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., No. 16-1220, holding that a federal court determining foreign law under Fed. R. Civ. P....more
6/15/2018
/ Animal Science Products Inc v Hebei Welcome Pharmaceutical Co Ltd ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Application of Foreign Laws ,
China ,
Comity ,
Exports ,
FRCP Rule 44.1 ,
Judicial Deference ,
Price-Fixing ,
Question of Law ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Sherman Act
On June 6, 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Simmons v. Himmelreich, No. 15–109, holding that the judgment-bar provision of the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) does not apply to claims dismissed for falling...more
6/7/2016
/ Claim Preclusion ,
Discretionary Functions ,
Exceptions ,
Federal Employees ,
Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) ,
Government Entities ,
Judgment-Bar Provision ,
Negligence ,
Prisoners ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Simmons v Himmelreich ,
Summary Judgment
On January 20, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Montanile v. Board of Trustees of the National Elevator Industry Health Benefit Plan, No. 14-723, holding that where an ERISA-plan participant has dissipated a third-party...more
On May 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Wellness International Network, Ltd. v. Sharif, (No. 13-935), holding that Article III does not prevent bankruptcy judges from entering final judgment on claims that seek only...more
5/28/2015
/ Alter Ego ,
Appeals ,
Article III ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Judicial Authority ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Stern v Marshall ,
Trust Assets ,
Wellness International Network v Sharif