U.S. Supreme Court 2013 Term Arguments

A case in which the Court held that a party is not liable for patent infringement under 35 U.S.C. § 271(b) unless the party has also violated Section 217(a)o or any other statutory provision.

A case in which the Court found that the San Diego Police Department's search of an arrested gang member's cell phone pictures without a warrant violated the Fourth Amendment.

A case in which the Court found that the San Diego Police Department's search of an arrested gang member's cell phone pictures without a warrant violated the Fourth Amendment.

A case in which the Court held that, although a U.S. patent may be vague in certain areas, it is still protected by patent law as long as the patent is definite enough for the general public to know what has or has not been patented already.

A case in which the Court held that a public employee's truthful testimony under subpoena in a trial is citizen speech and thus cannot be used to terminate the employee.

A case in which the Court held that an allegation of improper purpose was not sufficient to entitle a taxpayer to examine IRS officials.

A case in which the Court found that the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act pre-empts statutes of limitations, but cannot be used to pre-empt statutes of repose.

A case in which the Court held that Aereo, Inc. violated federal copyright law by allowing users to stream content produced by major cable companies without a cable subscription.

A case in which the Court held that pre-enforcement challenges are justiciable when evidence indicates that threatened enforcement of the law is sufficiently imminent.

A case in which the Court held that it is the duty of the court system to harmonize statutes, and that barring one applicable statute by use of another represents a disregard of the law's intent of having cooperative statutes.

A case in which the Court held that, under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, property held within the US by foreign nations cannot be attached to civil claims unless certain exceptions are met.

A case in which the Court held that a trustee of an employee stock ownership plan is subject to the same duty of prudence as the trustee of a Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

A case in which the Court held that, to find someone guilty of bank fraud, only one of the two bank fraud statutes must be met, not both.

A case in which the Court found that patent laws should not place restraints on abstract ideas that form the "building blocks of human ingenuity."

A case in which the Court held that Secret Service agents did not break any "clearly established" laws in their efforts to protect the President, and were thus protected by qualified immunity.

A case in which the Court decided that the Affordable Care Act's requirement of for-profit corporations to supply its employees with contraceptives that go against the owners' beliefs is unconstitutional under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.

A case in which the Court held that the U.S. Bankruptcy Code does not exempt inherited retirement accounts from a debtor's estate in bankruptcy proceedings.

A case in which the Court held that there is no undue burden in allowing defendants in securities fraud cases from presenting evidence regarding the alleged impact of the misinformation on stock prices.

A case in which the Court held that police using deadly force to prevent a crime endangering the general public are granted qualified immunity.

A case in which the Court held that the execution of intellectually disabled individuals violated the protection against cruel and unusual punishment guaranteed in the Eighth Amendment.

A case in which the Court defined "exceptional" cases as ones that simply stand out from others due to a frivolous nature related to its legal claims.

A case in which the Court held that a district court is the best place to determine whether or not a lawsuit is objectively baseless.

A case in which the Court held that, under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act, individuals accused of property crime must pay “an amount equal to...the value of the property,” minus “the value...of any part of the property that is returned" in retribution.

A case in which the Court held that, under the Clean Air Act, the EPA is not required to include greenhouse gas emissions every time it mentions air pollution.

A case in which the Court ruled that to recover restitution, either the government or the victim must establish a causal relationship between the defendant's conduct and the victim's harm or damages.

A case in which the Court held that a firearm purchaser's intent to sell their gun to another buyer is necessary information for the seller's records.

A case in which the Court ruled that the Fourth Amendment does not require an officer who received information regarding drunken or reckless driving to independently corroborate the behavior before stopping the vehicle.

A case in which the Court held that the the First Amendment prohibits the collection of union dues from home health care providers who do not wish to join a union.

A case in which the Court held that the doctrine of laches could not be used to prevent a copyright suit that seeks relief for damages that occurred within the three-year window allowed by the Copyright Act.

A case in which the Court held that a Tennessee man's conviction of domestic violence under state law also prevented him from legally possessing firearms under federal law.

A case in which the Court ruled that the Massachusetts legislature violated the freedom of speech protections of the First Amendment when it created a 35-foot buffer around the entrances, exits and driveways of abortion clinics where political activity was prohibited.

A case in which the Court found that a bankruptcy judge may hear arguments and file a report with a district court for "non-core" bankruptcy issues.

A case in which the Court held that the General Railroad Right-of-Way Act of 1875 guaranteed the federal government easements for federally-granted railroad land, but not an enduring property interest.

A case in which the Court found that severance payments made to employees who were unwillingly laid off are taxable under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act.

A case in which the Court found that a bankruptcy court may not enforce specific statutory exceptions.

A case in which the Court further defined the limitations on the presidential powers granted by the Recess Appointments Clause.

A case in which the Court held that the policy of equitable tolling does not apply to the statute of limitations outlined in the Hauge Convention's provision on international child abduction.

A case in which the Court held that a guilty plea negates a person's rights against self-incrimination in court.

A case in which the Court held that the Immigration and Nationality Act does not allow children who have submitted an application for a visa to keep their original application date if they "aged out" before it was processed.

A case in which the Court held that the EPA has an absolute mandate to require states to meet federal standards set forth in the Clean Air Act.

A case in which the Court ruled that the Aviation and Transportation Security Act protects transportation officials from false statements, as long as the statements are not materially false within the ATSA context.

A case in which the Court held that a district court's decision on a case based on merit is a "final answer" in terms of an eventual appeal.

A case in which the Court ruled that a federal statute can be enforced on a portion of military land that is subject to a public roadway easement.

A case in which the Court held that the Lanham Act allowed any party to sue for injuries relating to false advertising, as long as the party bringing suit has an interest that falls in the zone of interest that is protected by law.

A case in which the Court held that the Airline Deregulation Act preempts claims arising from a frequent flier complaint based on price, route, or air carrier service.

A case in which the Court held that Indian tribes have sovereign immunity that can only be revoked by Congress, and that the immunity extends to their commercial activities, even if they are not on their protected land.

A case in which the Court held that it is the duty of the arbitrating party in a contract lawsuit to interpret provisions outlined in the contract.

A case in which the Court decided a warrantless search is lawful if one of two co-tenants consents to the search and the other tenant is not present.

A case which the Court dismissed regarding the Labor Management Relations Act and a company's deals with union members.

A case in which the Court held that, under 21 U.S.C. § 841(b) of the statute regarding drug-related deaths, an individual convicted of the death of another through the sale of drugs cannot be convicted of drug-induced homicide if multiple drugs are present in the deceased's system.

A case in which the Court held that the state must prove that an individual intended to commit or assist in committing a firearm-related offense in a drug trafficking case to be charged with offenses related to the firearm.