No. 19-7701October Term 2019Decided Apr 27, 2020
Kerns v. Wenner
The Supreme Court ended Kerns v. Wenner at the petition stage, so the Ninth Circuit's result stands and the merits were not decided.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Apr 27, 2020
- What it's about
This case involves a petition for a writ of certiorari filed in the Supreme Court following a decision by the Ninth Circuit, though the specific legal issues are not detailed in the available record.
Question presented
Whether the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals erred in affirming the District Court's grant of summary judgment in favor of the Respondents on the basis of qualified immunity?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit / Decision released Apr 27, 2020
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Briefing
What it's about
Larry Douglas Kerns asked the Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit decision that let the respondents win on qualified immunity (protection that can shield officials from some civil-rights lawsuits). The Court declined to hear the case and did not decide that legal question itself.
Impact
That leaves the Ninth Circuit's result in place for the parties in this case. It also means people suing government officials in the Ninth Circuit, such as an officer or other public employee, got no new Supreme Court guidance here.
What's next
No further Supreme Court action is expected on this docket. The lower-court judgment remains in effect unless some separate proceeding exists outside the record provided.
What did the Supreme Court do in Kerns v. Wenner?
It declined to hear the case. That left the Ninth Circuit's judgment in place without a merits decision on qualified immunity.
Who is affected by the outcome in Kerns v. Wenner?
Kerns and the respondents are directly affected because the lower-court result remains in force. Other Ninth Circuit litigants got no new Supreme Court guidance from this case.
What happens next in Kerns v. Wenner?
Nothing more is expected at the Supreme Court in this docket. The case remains resolved under the Ninth Circuit's result.
Decision
What the Court decided
The Supreme Court ended Kerns v. Wenner at the petition stage, so the Ninth Circuit's result stands and the merits were not decided.
Impact
That leaves the Ninth Circuit's result in place for the parties in this case. It also means people suing government officials in the Ninth Circuit, such as an officer or other public employee, got no new Supreme Court guidance here.
Not official Court text.
Timing
Decided April 27, 2020
The Court released its decision on April 27, 2020 without hearing oral argument.
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary materials plus reporting.
- Note
- Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 25, 2026
- Method
- Methodology