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Supreme Court Case TrackerThe Court, in plain English

By term

October Term 2011 (2011–2012)

19 casesRecap
  • Before Arguments0
  • Awaiting Decision0
  • Decided19
  • Dismissed0
19 of 19 tracked cases in October Term 2011 (2011–2012) have a decision on the record.

Term tracker

Every published case, by stage

Decided Cases

19
DecidedState immigration enforcementArizona v. United StatesThe United States challenged Arizona’s S.B. 1070 as conflicting with federal law. The Court ruled federal law blocks three parts—Sections 3, 5(C), and 6—but lifted the block on Section 2(B) because state courts had not interpreted it and no conflict had yet been shown; it sent the case back to the lower court (remanded).Decided 11-182DecidedTribal contract funding capKen L. Salazar, Secretary of the Interior v. Ramah Navajo ChapterThe Supreme Court agreed with the Tenth Circuit that the federal government must pay tribes’ full contract-support costs under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, even when the total amount due exceeds the statutory funding cap.Decided 11-551DecidedFederal employee court accessMichael B. Elgin v. Department of the TreasuryMichael Elgin and other former federal employees challenged their firings under a law requiring them to register for the military draft, arguing that the law was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court agreed with the First Circuit that covered employees must use the review process under the Civil Service Reform Act, even for constitutional challenges, and upheld the lower court’s ruling.Decided 11-45DecidedLender bids in bankruptcyRadLAX Gateway Hotel, LLC v. Amalgamated BankThe Supreme Court agreed with the Seventh Circuit that RadLAX could not get approval for a Chapter 11 plan to sell hotel collateral free of Amalgamated Bank’s lien while barring the bank from bidding with the debt it was owed (credit-bidding).Decided 11-166DecidedAfter-death child benefitsMichael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security v. Karen K. Capato, on Behalf of B. N. C.The Supreme Court ruled that the Social Security Administration could use state inheritance law to decide whether Karen Capato’s twins, conceived after their father’s death, qualified for survivor benefits. It overturned the Third Circuit’s ruling and sent the case back to the lower court (remanded), without deciding the twins’ status under the relevant state law.Decided 11-159DecidedCourt costs for translationsKouichi Taniguchi v. Kan Pacific Saipan, Ltd., dba Marianas Resort and SpaThe Supreme Court ruled that the law’s category for “compensation of interpreters” covers oral translation, not document-translation costs. It wiped out the Ninth Circuit’s ruling (vacated it) and sent the case back to the lower court (remanded it).Decided 10-1472DecidedImmunity for government-hired lawyersSteve A. Filarsky v. Nicholas B. DeliaRialto hired private lawyer Steve Filarsky to investigate firefighter Nicholas Delia, who later sued over alleged constitutional violations during the investigation; the dispute was whether Filarsky could claim qualified immunity (a defense against personal damages suits over government work) despite not being a city employee. The Supreme Court unanimously overturned the Ninth Circuit’s ruling that Filarsky’s private status alone barred him from seeking that defense, but did not decide whether he ultimately qualified for it.Decided 10-1018DecidedImmunity for false testimonyCharles A. Rehberg v. James P. PaulkCharles Rehberg sued investigator James Paulk over alleged false grand-jury testimony. The Supreme Court agreed with the lower court (affirmed), deciding that grand-jury witnesses have the same protection from damages suits under federal civil-rights law (§1983) based on their testimony as trial witnesses.Decided 10-788DecidedCourt challenges to EPA ordersChantell Sackett, et vir v. Environmental Protection AgencyThe Sacketts challenged an EPA Clean Water Act order concerning their Idaho land. The Court ruled they could sue under federal law allowing court review of agency actions to challenge EPA’s authority to regulate it, overturned the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, and sent the case back (reversed and remanded); whether they could challenge the order’s terms remains unresolved.Decided 10-1062DecidedFiscal year for worker benefitsDana Roberts v. Sea-Land Services, Inc.Dana Roberts and Sea-Land disputed which fiscal year's wages set the Longshore Act's cap on disability benefits: the year Roberts first became entitled to benefits or the year a formal compensation award was issued. The Supreme Court agreed with the Ninth Circuit (affirmed its ruling), deciding the relevant year is when a worker first becomes disabled and entitled to benefits, regardless of when an order is issued.Decided 10-1399DecidedHelp with trial lawyer claimsLuis Mariano Martinez v. Charles L. Ryan, Director, Arizona Department of CorrectionsThe Supreme Court ruled that if state law requires a person to raise a claim that trial counsel was ineffective in the first post-conviction case (a court challenge after conviction), the person may sometimes overcome the state’s rule blocking review if there was no lawyer, or an ineffective lawyer, in that case and the trial-counsel claim has some merit. The Court overturned the Ninth Circuit and sent Luis Martinez’s case back to the lower court (remanded); whether his post-conviction lawyer performed inadequately, his trial-counsel claim had merit, and he was harmed remained undecided.Decided 10-1001DecidedPolice liability for searchesCurt Messerschmidt v. Brenda Millender, as of the Estate of Augusta MillenderAugusta Millender’s estate challenged a warrant to search her home for firearms and gang-related items after Jerry Bowen allegedly used a sawed-off shotgun to attack his former girlfriend. The Supreme Court ruled the officers were protected by qualified immunity (protection from civil damages unless officials violate a clearly established legal right) and overturned the Ninth Circuit’s ruling against them.Decided 10-704DecidedNursing home arbitration agreementsMarmet Health Care Center, Inc. v. Clayton BrownThe children of nursing-home patients sued the homes for negligence after the patients died in their care; West Virginia’s high court held that agreements the children signed requiring arbitration were invalid under public policy. The Supreme Court wiped out that judgment (vacated it) and sent the cases back for further proceedings (remanded).Decided 11-391DecidedHosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionCheryl Perich, a Lutheran schoolteacher who taught religion and led worship, sued after Hosanna-Tabor fired her, alleging disability discrimination. The Supreme Court unanimously overturned the Sixth Circuit and ruled that the First Amendment required her suit to be thrown out because she was a minister covered by the ministerial exception, a rule barring ministers’ employment-discrimination suits against religious groups.Decided 10-553DecidedOffshore worker injury coveragePacific Operators Offshore, LLP v. Luisa L. ValladolidJuan Valladolid died at an onshore facility; his widow sought workers’ compensation under a law covering offshore operations. The Court agreed with the Ninth Circuit and sent the case back to the lower court (remanded), ruling coverage requires a substantial connection between Valladolid’s injury and Pacific Operators Offshore’s offshore extraction work; whether that link exists remains unresolved.Decided 10-507DecidedEyewitness identification evidenceBarion Perry v. New HampshireBarion Perry argued that a judge should check an eyewitness identification’s reliability even when law enforcement did not arrange the suggestive circumstances. The Supreme Court agreed with New Hampshire and upheld the state court’s ruling: judges need not screen reliability unless law enforcement arranged unnecessarily suggestive circumstances.Decided 10-8974DecidedSuing private prison workersMargaret Minneci v. Richard Lee PollardRichard Lee Pollard, a federal prisoner in a privately run prison, sought damages from prison employees for alleged Eighth Amendment violations. The Supreme Court ruled that he could not bring a federal constitutional damages claim (a Bivens claim) in these circumstances because state tort law provided adequate ways to seek compensation and deter misconduct, and it overturned the Ninth Circuit’s rulings.Decided 10-1104DecidedDeportation relief after convictionJoel Judulang v. Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney GeneralThe Supreme Court ruled that the Board of Immigration Appeals’ rule for deciding whether Joel Judulang could seek discretionary relief from deportation under a former immigration law was unreasonable under the law governing federal agencies (arbitrary and capricious). It overturned the Ninth Circuit’s ruling and sent Judulang’s case back to the lower court (remanded).Decided 10-694DecidedReviewing expert evidenceJavier Cavazos, Acting Warden v. Shirley Ree SmithShirley Ree Smith, convicted in her infant grandson’s death, received relief from the Ninth Circuit after it found the evidence insufficient amid conflicting expert testimony about the cause of death. Acting warden Javier Cavazos asked the Supreme Court to overturn that ruling; the Court did so and sent the case back for further proceedings (remanded).Decided 10-1115