No. 25-6484October Term 2025Petition PendingUpdated Sep 10, 2026
Due process and equity jurisdiction
Mortvedt v. Charles E. Clawson, III
Case status
Where it stands
Awaiting an order on the petition
- Next
- No decision timeline until the Court agrees to hear the case.
What it's about
Donald N. S. Mortvedt has asked the Supreme Court to review a decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. His petition appears to raise a Fourteenth Amendment due process argument concerning equity, but the Court has not yet agreed to decide any question.
Question presented
1. Whether the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment excludes equity from jurisdiction over deprivations of liberty, including parental liberty? 2. Whether a district court’s sua sponte dismissal of a pro se, fee-paid § 1983 action, without notice or leave to amend to add proper state officials under Ex parte Young or to present the federal constitutional questions, violates due process, burdens the First Amendment right to petition, and impairs this Court’s appellate jurisdiction?
Timeline
Briefing
What it's about
Donald N. S. Mortvedt has asked the Supreme Court to review an Eighth Circuit decision. His petition raises due process questions about equity and parental liberty, as well as a federal court's dismissal of his civil-rights case.
Argument
The case has not been scheduled for oral argument, and the Court has not agreed to hear it.
Impact
The case could affect people who bring their own federal civil-rights cases and whose cases are dismissed without notice or a chance to revise their filings. It also concerns claims involving parental liberty.
What's next
The next development would be an order on whether the Court will hear the case or a scheduling move toward oral argument. No decision window is available yet.
What is at stake in Mortvedt v. Clawson?
The petition raises questions about due process, parental liberty, and the dismissal of a self-represented federal civil-rights lawsuit.
Who could be affected by Mortvedt's case?
People filing their own Section 1983 civil-rights cases could be affected if the Court takes up rules about dismissal without notice or amendment.
What happens next in Mortvedt v. Clawson?
The Court may decide whether to hear the case. It could also issue another scheduling order before any oral argument.
Documents
Activity
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
Brief added: Petition
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