U.S. Supreme Court 2011 Term Arguments

A case in which the Court found that the Alien Tort Statute does not give ground for United States law to be applied extraterrestrially to other sovereign nations with their own laws.

A case in which the Court found that Arizona's state immigration provisions conflicted in part with federal immigration laws.

A case in which the Court held that a neighbor of a proposed Indian casino had standing to sue the government for taking 147 acres of a town's land under Section 465 of the Indian Reorganization Act.

A case in which the Court held that a company could not obtain confirmation of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan that provided for the sale of its assets free from lien without permitting a bank to credit-bid at the sale.

A case in which the Court held that, under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, the government is required to pay all of the contract support costs incurred by a tribal contractor if payment of those costs would exceed the statutory cap on the appropriations available to pay them.

A case in which the Court held that criminals who had committed drug crimes before the passage of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 but were sentenced after its passage were entitled to the sentencing provisions laid out in the Act.

A case in which the Court held that the Secretary of Labor's definition of "outside salesman" apply to pharmaceutical sales representatives under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Cases in which the Court held that the minimum coverage requirement of the Affordable Care Act was constitutional, that Congress had the power to enforce the taxation of most Americans that did not buy the minimum level of coverage, and that the federal government exceeded its power by pressuring States into accepting conditions that Congress could not impose directly by threatening to withhold all federal funding under Medicaid.

Cases in which the Court held that the minimum coverage requirement of the Affordable Care Act was constitutional, that Congress had the power to enforce the taxation of most Americans that did not buy the minimum level of coverage, and that the federal government exceeded its power by pressuring States into accepting conditions that Congress could not impose directly by threatening to withhold all federal funding under Medicaid.

Cases in which the Court held that the minimum coverage requirement of the Affordable Care Act was constitutional, that Congress had the power to enforce the taxation of most Americans that did not buy the minimum level of coverage, and that the federal government exceeded its power by pressuring States into accepting conditions that Congress could not impose directly by threatening to withhold all federal funding under Medicaid.

Cases in which the Court held that the minimum coverage requirement of the Affordable Care Act was constitutional, that Congress had the power to enforce the taxation of most Americans that did not buy the minimum level of coverage, and that the federal government exceeded its power by pressuring States into accepting conditions that Congress could not impose directly by threatening to withhold all federal funding under Medicaid.

A case in which the Court held that police officers and federal agents cannot be sued for violating someone’s rights, as long as the right that was supposedly violated was not formally recognized to exist at the time the officers acted.

A case which the Court dismissed regarding whether or not the Seventh Circuit violated Supreme Court precedent on harmless error by focusing its analysis solely on the weight of untainted evidence, without considering any potential effects of the error.

A case in which the Court found it to be a violation of the Eighth Amendment to impose a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on juvenile offenders.

A case in which the Court found it to be a violation of the Eighth Amendment to impose a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on juvenile offenders.

A case in which the Court held that twins, born through in vitro fertilization after the death of their biological father, were not "children" under Title II of the Social Security act.

A case in which the Court held that the rule applied in Apprendi v. New Jersey, where the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of a jury trial requires that any fact which increases the maximum punishment for a particular crime be proved to a jury, applies to the imposition of criminal fines.

A case in which the Court held that an Indiana town did not violate residents' Fourteenth Amendment rights when it denied them reimbursement for paying property assessment fees, later deemed to be more than necessary, in full.

A case in which the Court held that the word "individual" in the Torture Victim Protection Act means a natural person and does not impose any liability against organizations.

A case in which the Court found that the Alien Tort Statute does not give ground for United States law to be applied extraterrestrially to other sovereign nations with their own laws.

A case in which the Court held that the Civil Service Reform Act precludes federal courts' jurisdiction in cases where federal employees seek equitable relief.

A case in which the Court held that, under Day v. McDonough, appellate courts have the authority, though not the obligation, to raise a forfeited statute of limitations defense on its own.

A case in which the Court held that an Arkansas man's rights against double jeopardy were not violated after his first murder trial was dismissed when the jury could not agree on a conviction charge.

A case in which the Court found that the Stolen Valor Act violated the First Amendment.

A case in which the Court held that the winner of a federal-court lawsuit cannot be reimbursed by the losing party for any document translation costs under 28 U.S.C. § 1920(6).

A case in which the Court held that Section 8(b) of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act prohibits a real estate service provider from charging an unearned fee if the fee is divided between two or more parties.

A case in which the Court held that an unemancipated minor cannot use his or her parent's years of residency to fulfill the requirements for having a removal from the country stayed under 8 U.S. C. 1229(a).

A case in which the Court held that 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(13)(C)(v) cannot be applied retroactively to a lawful permanent resident who pleads guilty to a crime prior to the effective date of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act.

A case in which the Court held that section 6501(e)(1)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code does not apply when a taxpayer overstates the amount of property that he has sold, which then understates the gain received from the sale.

A case in which the Court found that a private attorney retained by a governmental agency is not prevented from claiming qualified immunity simply because they are not a full-time employee of the agency.

A case in which the Court held that states have sovereign immunity to suits brought under the self-care provision of the Family and Medical Leave Act.

A case in which the Court held that the Longshore Act sets the period when an injured worker is awarded disability compensation as the fiscal year when the worker first becomes entitled to compensation.

A case in which the Court determined that an FCC policy regarding profane language was too vague, and which was remanded to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to determine if the FCC violated its customers' First Amendment rights.

A case in which the Court found that, under the First Amendment, public-sector unions are not permitted to impose a special assessment fee without the consent of the member upon whom it is imposed.

A case in which the Court found that homeowners have a right to go to court over a Clean Water Act order of the Environmental Protection Agency.

A case in which the Court held that a patent applicant's ability to introduce new evidence in a civil action against the Patent and Trademark Office was only limited by the Federal Rules of Evidence and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

A case which the Court remanded regarding whether or not a Texas district court abused its discretion under the Voting Rights Act when it redrew 36 districts.

A case in which the Court held that certain diagnostic medical tests are unpatentable products of nature.

A case in which the Court held that the constitutional test for determining whether a section of a river is navigable for title purposes requires a trial court to determine whether the relevant stretch of the river was navigable at the time of statehood.

A case in which the Court held that testimony of an expert witness that is based on a test an expert did not personally perform is admissible and does not violate a defendant's Sixth Amendment Confrontation Clause rights.

A case in which the Court held that a condemned state prisoner in federal proceedings is not entitled to replace his court-appointed counsel with another court-appointed counsel due to dissatisfaction with the counsel's service.

A case in which the Court held that counterclaims that challenge unpatented uses of generic drugs, even if other approved uses are still under patent, are allowable under the Hatch-Waxman Act.

A case in which the Court held that qualified immunity protects government officials from civil liability when their conduct does not violate any clearly established right of which a reasonable person would have known.

A case in which the Court held that a federal judge has discretion to order a federal sentence to run consecutively or concurrently with an anticipated state sentence.

A case in which the Court held that the Privacy Act of 1974 does not cover mental and emotional distress under "actual damages."

A case in which the Court held that assets sold by a debtor in bankruptcy proceedings does not count as a separately taxable estate in Chapter 12 bankruptcies.

A case in which the Court held that Section 16(b) of the 1934 Securities Exchange Act is subject to tolling, where tolling starts after the filing of a Section 16(a) claim.

A case in which the Court held that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act does not strip federal courts of the ability to hear cases that would normally be brought in state courts.

A case which the Court dismissed, regarding whether or not a private purchaser of real estate services has standing to sue when a kickback does not affect the value or quality of the service.

A case in which the Court held that a California law requiring slaughterhouses to "immediately euthanize" any nonambulatory animal on its premises is preempted by the Federal Meat Inspection Act.

A case in which the Court held that the Locomotive Inspection Act preempts state law design defect claims and state law failure to warn claims.