Court Review: Volume 41, Issue 2 - Recent Civil Decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court: The 2003-2004 Term

The civil cases decided by the United States Supreme Court during its last term were headlined by its decisions reasserting the rule of law in the context of detainees in the war on terrorism. In addition, the Court handed down a number of decisions on civil rights, the First Amendment, federalism, presidential power, and civil statutory interpretation. We review those cases here

Court Review: Volume 40, Issue 2 - Recent Criminal Decisions of the United States Supreme Court: The 2002-2003 Term

In criminal cases, this term of the United States Supreme Court had several important decisions, but no landmark cases. The Court continued to favor law enforcement. One significant development was the substantial impact of section 2254(d) of the Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act is having in closing the door of federal courts to state prisoners petitioning for the writ of habeas corpus. Here are several of the important criminal decisions decided this term

Court Review: Volume 39, Issue 1 - Recent Civil Decisions of the United States Supreme Court: The 2001-2002 Term

The United States Supreme Court’s 2001-2002 term marked Chief Justice Rehnquist’s 30th anniversary on the bench. Given the continuing prominence of 5-4 splits along typically ideological lines, the chief justice’s leadership is as significant as it ever was. In the context of the Court’s civil decisions, the chief justice’s importance to the conservative bloc was demonstrated in the case immunizing states from privateparty complaints adjudicated by administrative agencies and in the Court’s acceptance of a policy permitting public vouchers to be used for religious school tuition. The Court also confronted significant issues regarding the First Amendment and limitations on protecting children from pornography; regulation of HMOs; student privacy; and, possibly most noteworthy, the applicability and limitations of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Court Review: Volume 43, Issue 3 – Recent Criminal Decisions of the United States Supreme Court: The 2006-2007 Term

The past Term of the Court was one in which it swung to the right. A single justice, Justice Anthony Kennedy, made all the difference—being in the majority in every five-to-four decision that split along ideological lines. Cases of particular interest to state-court judges held that a passenger in a routine traffic stop is seized for Fourth Amendment purposes, that California’s determinative sentencing law was unconstitutional, and that the Court’s decision on Crawford v. Washington would not be applied retroactively on collateral review

Court Review: Volume 40, Issue 2 - Recent Criminal Decisions of the United States Supreme Court: The 2002-2003 Term

In criminal cases, this term of the United States Supreme Court had several important decisions, but no landmark cases. The Court continued to favor law enforcement. One significant development was the substantial impact of section 2254(d) of the Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act is having in closing the door of federal courts to state prisoners petitioning for the writ of habeas corpus. Here are several of the important criminal decisions decided this term

Court Review: Volume 40, Issue 1 - Recent Civil Decisions of the United States Supreme Court: The 2002-2003 Term

The past term of the United States Supreme Court was dramatic, unexpected, and produced constitutional decisions that affect the nature and fabric of our society. The term had three or four “star” cases: the approval of affirmative action, the striking down of bans on gay sexual relations, the U-turn in the Court’s federalism revolution, and the restriction on punitive damage awards. These decisions and the other rulings in constitutional law outside the criminal field made up the bulk of the Court’s opinions for the 2002-2003 term

Court Review: Volume 42, Issue 2 - Recent Civil Decisions of the United States Supreme Court: The 2004-2005 Term

As I noted in reviewing the past term’s criminal decisions, what turned out to be the final year for the Rehnquist Court produced no blockbuster rulings. Nonetheless, there were several civil decisions of note. The Court’s 5-4 ruling upholding the taking of private property for economic development purposes and two First Amendment cases involving public display of the Ten Commandments in a courthouse and in a school were among those receiving the most public attention

Court Review: Volume 39, Issue 1 - Recent Criminal Decisions of the United States Supreme Court: The 2001-2002 Term

The United States Supreme Court’s 2001-2002 term at least gave the appearance of a more unified Supreme Court— at least when compared to the previous term, which was marked by an overwhelming number of 5-4 decisions—and featured several unanimous or near unanimous decisions. Specifically in the Fourth Amendment area, but also in other cases, the Court seemed at times to break free from the typical conservative-liberal divide that was so salient a year ago. This term, the Court confronted significant issues regarding the increased susceptibility to searches and seizures of bus passengers, students, and probationers; the death penalty and its limitations; the assistance of counsel in minor criminal cases; the constitutionally required roles of the judge and jury in criminal cases; and further interpretation of the Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act