U.S. Supreme Court 2009 Term Arguments

A case in which the Court held that requiring the disclosure of the names of individuals who sign a referendum petition does not violate the signers' First Amendment rights to protection of political speech.

A case in which the Court held that a district court must conduct an evidentiary hearing to enter an injunction.

A case in which the Court held that district courts are required in all cases to determine whether an arbitration agreement, subject to the Federal Arbitration Act, is unconscionable.

A case in which the Court held that a party is entitled to attorneys' fees pursuant to Section 502(g)(1) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act when an ERISA violation has occurred.

A case in which the Court held that the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals' interpretation of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(c)(1)(C), which permits an amended complaint to relate back to when the amendment corrects a "mistake concerning the proper party's identity," undermined the fundamental purpose of the rule.

A case in which the Court held that federal courts may enter a restitution order beyond the time prescribed under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act if certain qualifications are met.

A case in which the Court held that a college's mandate requiring all officially-recognized student organizations be inclusive and welcoming to all students did not violate a group of Christian students' First Amendment rights when the college refused to recognize a student group that required all members to sign a statement of Christian beliefs for membership.

A case in which the Court held that the city of Ontario's search of an employee's text messages did not violate his First Amendment rights because the search was not excessive in scope and was motivated by a legitimate work-related purpose.

A case, which the Court dismissed as improvidently granted, concerning the constitutionality of actions of criminal contempt brought in the name and pursuant to the power of a private person, rather than in the name and pursuant to the power of the United States.

A case in which the Court held that a minor drug offense is not automatic grounds for deportation of a legal immigrant.

A case in which the Court held that the Federal Bureau of Prisons' method of determining "good behavior," which was based on the inmate's time in prison rather than the overall sentence, was constitutional.

A case in which the Court held that federal sentencing guidelines are binding when a district court imposes a new sentence under a revised guideline range.

A case in which the Court held that the Securities and Exchange Act does not provide a cause of action against foreign plaintiffs suing foreign and American defendants for misconduct in connection with securities traded on foreign stock exchanges.

A case in which the Court held that a Michigan trial court did not properly apply established Supreme Court precedent in a murder trial.

A case in which the Court held that the Carmack Amendment of the Interstate Commerce Act does not apply to the inland leg of an international shipment.

A case in which the Court held that, when a habeas corpus application alleges new judgment for the first time, it is not "second or successive" under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act and is therefore constitutional.

A case in which the Court held that the National Labor Relations Board cannot execute duties with only two members on its board when 29 U.S.C. Section 153(b) mandates that quorum for the board is three members.

A case in which the Court held that a bankruptcy court may take evidence into account that suggests a debtor's finances prior to the filing period would be different than the debtor's finances during the period of bankruptcy.

A case in which the Court held that a taxpayer's complaint of allegedly discriminatory state taxation must proceed originally in state court.

A case in which the Court held that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act does not extend to an individual acting in his official capacity on behalf of the foreign state.

A case in which the Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment makes the Second Amendment's right to bear arms for the purpose of self-defense applicable in the states.

A case in which the Court held that the immunity granted by the Federal Tort Claims Act precludes Bivens actions against Public Health Service officers for constitutional violations committed while in the scope of the employees' official duties.

A case in which the Court held that a state prisoner who has exhausted their appeals process in their state has one year to file a writ of habeas corpus, with certain exceptions (including attorney misconduct) that may allow the courts to relax that deadline.

A case in which the Court held that the former CEO of Enron received a fair trial before an impartial jury, and that the federal law that makes it a crime to deprive someone of a fair and honest trial only applies to bribery and kickback schemes.

A case in which the Court held that a Michigan state court did not deprive a prisoner of his Miranda rights or his right to effective counsel because he failed to state his defense of those rights "unambiguously."

A case in which the Court held that the Sex Offender and Registration Act does not apply to sex offenders' interstate travel that occurred before the Act's effective date.

A case in which the Court held that an appellate court may correct an error not raised at trial only when the appellant demonstrates that: (1) there is an error; (2) the error is clear and obvious; (3) the error affected the appellant's substantial rights; and (4) the error seriously affects the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings.

A case in which the Court held that sections of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act were not unconstitutionally vague in a lawsuit that named the Kurdistan Workers Party and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

A case in which the Court held that the fact that a firearm was a machine gun is an element to be proved to the jury beyond a reasonable doubt, not a sentencing factor to be proved to the judge at sentencing.

A case in which the Court determined that an award of attorney’s fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act can be used to offset the prevailing party’s preexisting debt to the government.

A case in which the Court held that an employee may file a Title VII disparate impact claim within 300 days after their employer executes the allegedly unlawful practice.

A case in which the Court held that a Michigan state court did not create an unfair bias in jury selection for a murder trial.

A case in which the Court held that the Second Circuit Court of Appeals erred when they did not hold a claim of unfair pension distribution by employees of the Xerox Corporation to a deferential standard of review.

A case in which the Court held that a franchise operator cannot successfully bring a claim of constructive termination of the franchise unless it can be proven that the parent company directly forced the franchise out of business.

A case in which the Court held that federal courts have jurisdiction to determine whether or not a collective bargaining agreement was formed between two parties when the agreement is disputed, but neither party makes a challenge to the arbitration clause contained in the agreement.

A case in which the Court held that separate teams in the NFL are not a collective, single entity, and that their actions regarding licensing their merchandise are subject to the Sherman Antitrust Act.

A case in which the Court held that a debt collector's mistake in interpreting the law cannot qualify for the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act bona fide error defense.

A case in which the Court held that the Necessary and Proper Clause granted Congress authority to enact the Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act.

A case in which the Court held that the Hague Convention gave a father a right to have his child brought back to Chile from Texas after the child's mother violated her divorce agreement that required both parents' consent for the child to be taken out of Chile.

A case which the Court remanded regarding the Sixth Amendment rights of a man convicted of cocaine possession.

A case in which the Court held that Alabama did not have the power to impose monetary sanctions against North Carolina for violating a multi-state waste cleanup compact.

A case in which the Court held that imposing class arbitration on parties who have not agreed to authorize class arbitration is inconsistent with the Federal Arbitration Act.

A case which the Court remanded to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for further proceedings in light of its decision in Skilling v. United States.

A case in which the Court held that a court of appeals may not retroactively impose a verdict preservation requirement that is not in the Federal Rules of Procedure.

A case in which the Court held that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act violated the Appointment Clause of the Constitution.

A case in which the Court held that a Florida police officer did not invalidate a convicted felon's Miranda rights during his arrest.

A case in which the Court held that a ruling on littoral ("on or near the shore") takings by the Florida Supreme Court did not cause a judicial takings violation of the Fifth or Fourteenth Amendments.

A case in which the Court held that Chapter 13 bankruptcy plans which discharge student loans are not void if the debtor fails to provide evidence of "undue hardship" in an adversary proceeding.

A case in which the Court held that attorneys who provide bankruptcy assistance are debt relief agencies under the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act.

A case in which the Court held that an audit performed by a state or its political subdivisions constitutes an administrative report within the False Claims Act.