The 2015 term of the Supreme Court of the United States began October 5, 2015, and concluded October 2, 2016. This was the twenty-fifth term of Associate Justice Clarence Thomas's tenure on the Court. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Type | Case | Citation | Issues | Joined by | Other opinions | |||||||||||||
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New Hampshire Right to Life v. Department of Health and Human Services | 577 U.S. ___ (2015) | Freedom of Information Act | Scalia | |||||||||||||||
Thomas dissented from the Court's denial of certiorari. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friedman v. Highland Park | 577 U.S. ___ (2015) | Second Amendment • right to keep and bear arms • municipal ban on semiautomatic firearms and high-capacity magazines | Scalia | |||||||||||||||
Thomas dissented from the Court's denial of certiorari. | ||||||||||||||||||
DIRECTV, Inc. v. Imburgia | 577 U.S. ___ (2015) | Federal Arbitration Act |
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Montanile v. Board of Trustees of Nat. Elevator Industry Health Benefit Plan | 577 U.S. ___ (2016) | Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 • equitable remedies for plan enforcement | Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy, Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan; Alito (in part) |
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Campbell-Ewald v. Gomez | 577 U.S. ___ (2016) | Article III • Case or Controversy Clause • effect of unaccepted settlement offer or offer of judgment on mootness • Telephone Consumer Protection Act • liability of federal contractor |
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Montgomery v. Louisiana | 577 U.S. ___ (2016) | Eighth Amendment • mandatory life imprisonment of minors • retroactivity of new constitutional rules |
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Musacchio v. United States | 577 U.S. ___ (2016) | challenge to sufficiency of evidence based on incorrect jury instructions • waiver of statute of limitations | Unanimous | |||||||||||||||
California Building Industry Assn. v. San Jose | 577 U.S. ___ (2016) | ordinance requiring new developments include low income housing • Fifth Amendment • Takings Clause | ||||||||||||||||
Thomas concurred in the Court's denial of certiorari. | ||||||||||||||||||
Gobeille v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co. | 577 U.S. ___ (2016) | Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 • preemption of state law health care disclosure requirements |
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American Freedom Defense Initiative v. King County | 577 U.S. ___ (2016) | First Amendment • free speech • public forum doctrine • advertising in public transit areas | Alito | |||||||||||||||
Thomas dissented from the Court's denial of certiorari. | ||||||||||||||||||
Nebraska v. Colorado | 577 U.S. ___ (2016) | discretion to decline original jurisdiction suits • Colorado Amendment 64 | Alito | |||||||||||||||
Thomas dissented from the Court's denial of leave to file complaint. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tyson Foods, Inc. v. Bouaphakeo | 577 U.S. ___ (2016) | Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 • certification of class action • compensibility for varying times spent donning and doffing protective gear | Alito |
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Nebraska v. Parker | 577 U.S. ___ (2016) | Omaha Indian Reservation • diminishment of reservation boundaries | Unanimous [2] | |||||||||||||||
Luis v. United States | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | pretrial asset freezing • Sixth Amendment • right to counsel of one's choice |
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Evenwel v. Abbott | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | legislative redistricting based on total state population • Fourteenth Amendment • Equal Protection Clause • one person, one vote doctrine |
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Kakarala v. Wells Fargo Bank, N. A. | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | federal court review of orders remanding cases to state court | ||||||||||||||||
Thomas dissented from the Court's denial of certiorari. | ||||||||||||||||||
Welch v. United States | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | Armed Career Criminal Act • retroactive effect of court decision on collateral review |
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Hughes v. Talen Energy Marketing, LLC | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | Federal Power Act • interstate wholesale electricity rates • federal preemption |
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Arrigoni Enterprises, LLC. v. Durham | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | Fifth Amendment • Takings Clause • exhaustion of remedies under state procedures | Kennedy | |||||||||||||||
Thomas dissented from the Court's denial of certiorari. | ||||||||||||||||||
Heffernan v. City of Paterson | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | First Amendment • free speech by government employees • demotion based on employer's factual mistake regarding engagement in protected activity | Alito |
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Ocasio v. United States | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | Hobbs Act • conspiracy |
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Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970 • Article III • injury-in-fact |
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Husky Int'l Electronics, Inc. v. Ritz | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | bankruptcy law • Chapter 7 • discharge exception for actual fraud |
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Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. v. Manning | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | Securities Exchange Act of 1934 • removal jurisdiction • federal question jurisdiction | Sotomayor |
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United Student Aid Funds, Inc. v. Bible | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | administrative law • deference to agency interpretation | ||||||||||||||||
Thomas dissented from the denial of certiorari. | ||||||||||||||||||
CRST Van Expedited, Inc. v. EEOC | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | Title VII • award of attorney's fees to prevailing party |
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Betterman v. Montana | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | Sixth Amendment • Speedy Trial Clause • postconviction delay in sentencing | Alito |
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Foster v. Chatman | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | Fourteenth Amendment • Equal Protection Clause • racial discrimination in juror peremptory challenges • adequate and independent state ground |
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Green v. Brennan | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | Title VII • constructive discharge • statute of limitations |
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Adams v. Alabama | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | Eighth Amendment • mandatory life imprisonment of minors • retroactivity of new constitutional rules | Alito |
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Thomas concurred in the Court's decision to grant certiorari, vacate the lower court's opinion, and remand. | ||||||||||||||||||
Lynch v. Arizona | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | Fourteenth Amendment • Due Process Clause • death penalty • right to inform jury at sentencing of parole ineligibility | Alito |
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Ross v. Blake | 578 U.S. ___ (2016) | Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1995 • exhaustion of remedies |
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Williams v. Pennsylvania | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | Fourteenth Amendment • Due Process Clause • judicial recusal due to prior involvement as prosecutor |
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Dietz v. Bouldin | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | district court recall of jury in civil case after discharge | Kennedy |
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Puerto Rico v. Sanchez Valle | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | Double Jeopardy Clause • sovereignty of Puerto Rico |
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Puerto Rico v. Franklin Cal. Tax-Free Trust | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | bankruptcy law • preemption of municipal bankruptcy laws • Puerto Rican government-debt crisis | Roberts, Kennedy, Breyer, Kagan |
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United States v. Bryant | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | federal crime of domestic violence in Indian lands • tribal court conviction as predicate offense • Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 • Sixth Amendment • Assistance of Counsel Clause • Fifth Amendment • Due Process Clause |
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Kingdomware Technologies, Inc. v. United States | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 • Department of Defense contracting with veteran-owned small businesses | Unanimous [2] | |||||||||||||||
Universal Health Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Escobar | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | False Claims Act • implied false certification theory • failure to disclose noncompliance with legal requirements | Unanimous [2] | |||||||||||||||
Encino Motorcars, LLC v. Navarro | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | Fair Labor Standards Act • overtime exemption for automobile service advisors | Alito |
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Utah v. Strieff | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | Fourth Amendment • exclusionary rule • attenuation doctrine | Roberts, Kennedy, Breyer, Alito |
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Cuozzo Speed Technologies, LLC v. Lee | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | Leahy-Smith America Invents Act • appealability of decision to conduct inter partes review |
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Taylor v. United States | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | Hobbs Act • robbery of drug dealers as satisfaction of commerce requirement |
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Fisher v. University of Tex. at Austin | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | Fourteenth Amendment • Equal Protection Clause • affirmative action • race-conscious college admissions program |
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Birchfield v. North Dakota | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | Fourth Amendment • search incident to arrest • drunk driving • implied consent to breathalyzer or blood alcohol content tests |
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Mathis v. United States | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | Armed Career Criminal Act • sentence enhancement for prior convictions |
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Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | Fourteenth Amendment • abortion • regulation of abortion providers • Texas Senate Bill 5 • res judicata |
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Voisine v. United States | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | federal criminal law • prohibition on firearm ownership for misdemeanor domestic violence conviction • Second Amendment | Sotomayor (in part) |
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Delaware Strong Families v. Denn | 579 U.S. ___ (2016) | First Amendment • campaign finance reform • mandated disclosure of anonymous donors | ||||||||||||||||
Thomas dissented from the Court's denial of certiorari. |
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of U.S. Constitutional or federal law. It also has original jurisdiction over a narrow range of cases, specifically "all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party." The court holds the power of judicial review, the ability to invalidate a statute for violating a provision of the Constitution. It is also able to strike down presidential directives for violating either the Constitution or statutory law. However, it may act only within the context of a case in an area of law over which it has jurisdiction. The court may decide cases having political overtones, but has ruled that it does not have power to decide non-justiciable political questions.
Antonin Gregory Scalia was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectual anchor for the originalist and textualist position in the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative wing. For catalyzing an originalist and textualist movement in American law, he has been described as one of the most influential jurists of the twentieth century, and one of the most important justices in the history of the Supreme Court. Scalia was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018 by President Donald Trump, and the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University was named in his honor.
Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health, 497 U.S. 261 (1990), was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States involving a young adult incompetent. The first "right to die" case ever heard by the Court, Cruzan was argued on December 6, 1989 and decided on June 25, 1990. In a 5–4 decision, the Court affirmed the earlier ruling of the Supreme Court of Missouri and ruled in favor of the State of Missouri, finding it was acceptable to require "clear and convincing evidence" of a patient's wishes for removal of life support. A significant outcome of the case was the creation of advance health directives.
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. The procedures of the Court are governed by the U.S. Constitution, various federal statutes, and its own internal rules. Since 1869, the Court has consisted of one chief justice and eight associate justices. Justices are nominated by the president, and with the advice and consent (confirmation) of the U.S. Senate, appointed to the Court by the president. Once appointed, justices have lifetime tenure unless they resign, retire, or are removed from office.
The Roberts Court is the time since 2005 during which the Supreme Court of the United States has been led by John Roberts as Chief Justice. It is generally considered to be more conservative than the preceding Rehnquist Court and the most conservative court since the Vinson Court of the 1940s and early 1950s. This is due to the retirement of moderate Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy, the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the confirmation of conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett in their places, respectively.
Rapanos v. United States, 547 U.S. 715 (2006), was a United States Supreme Court case challenging federal jurisdiction to regulate isolated wetlands under the Clean Water Act. It was the first major environmental case heard by the newly appointed Chief Justice, John Roberts, and Associate Justice Samuel Alito. The Supreme Court heard the case on February 21, 2006, and issued a decision on June 19, 2006.
The Supreme Court of the United States handed down eight per curiam opinions during its 2006 term, which began October 2, 2006 and concluded September 30, 2007.
The 2015 term of the Supreme Court of the United States began October 5, 2015, and concluded October 2, 2016. The table below illustrates which opinion was filed by each justice in each case and which justices joined each opinion.
Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, 578 U.S. ___ (2016), is a United States labor law case that came before the Supreme Court of the United States. At issue in the case was whether Abood v. Detroit Board of Education (1977) should be overruled, with public-sector "agency shop" arrangements invalidated under the First Amendment, and whether it violates the First Amendment to require that public employees affirmatively object to subsidizing nonchargeable speech by public-sector unions, rather than requiring employees to consent affirmatively to subsidizing such speech. Specifically, the case concerned public sector collective bargaining by the California Teachers Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association.
On March 16, 2016, President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States to succeed Antonin Scalia, who had died one month earlier. At the time of his nomination, Garland was the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Kansas v. Carr, 577 U.S. ___ (2016), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States clarified several procedures for sentencing defendants in capital cases. Specifically, the Court held that judges are not required to affirmatively instruct juries about the burden of proof for establishing mitigating evidence, and that joint trials of capital defendants "are often preferable when the joined defendants’ criminal conduct arises out of a single chain of events". This case included the last majority opinion written by Justice Antonin Scalia before his death in February 2016.
The 2016 term of the Supreme Court of the United States began October 3, 2016, and concluded October 1, 2017. The table below illustrates which opinion was filed by each justice in each case and which justices joined each opinion.
Sessions v. Dimaya, 584 U.S. ___ (2018), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that 18 U.S.C. § 16(b), a statute defining certain "aggravated felonies" for immigration purposes, is unconstitutionally vague. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) classifies some categories of crimes as "aggravated felonies", and immigrants convicted of those crimes, including those legally present in the United States, are almost certain to be deported. Those categories include "crimes of violence", which are defined by the "elements clause" and the "residual clause". The Court struck down the "residual clause", which classified every felony that, "by its nature, involves a substantial risk" of "physical force against the person or property" as an aggravated felony.