Tag Archives: Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear a second higher education affirmative action case this term, even while a decision on the first is expected to be released imminently. The court announced on Monday that it would hear arguments in Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action over whether states can ban racial preference policies in public university admissions. Last fall, the justices heard arguments in Fisher v. Texas on whether a state university could consider race as one …

The U.S. Supreme Court on Mar. 18 agreed to hear a case, Kaley v. U.S., that could have a major impact on the federal government’s ability to freeze the assets of people it is prosecuting, thereby limiting their ability to hire lawyers of their choice.   Asset Freeze Kerri Kaley was a sales rep in Florida for Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Ethicon Endo-Surgery, according to the government’s brief filed with the Supreme Court. She and her husband Brian were indicted …

The U.S. Supreme Court heard two hours of arguments today over the Defense of Marriage Act, which bans federal recognition of same-sex marriage. Opponents of the 1996 law argue that excluding gay couples from federal marriage benefits is unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment, which states that the federal government must not deprive people of “life, liberty, or property” while implying equality under the law. DOMA was ruled unconstitutional twice last year, first in a decision rendered by the 1st U.S. …

By Larry Bodine, Editor in Chief, Lawyers.com Editorial We are on the threshold of a historic decision on individual rights by the Supreme Court of the United States as it considers two cases involving same-sex marriage. The cases about “who you love” could change the laws in 41 states and more than 1,000 federal statutes. Regardless of what is said in the oral arguments, a reading of the merits briefs makes it clear that the Court will have to rule …

Police cannot bring a dog to a private residence to sniff for drugs through the door, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today in a 5-4 decision. In Florida v. Jardines, the court upheld a ruling by the Florida Supreme Court that the area immediately around a person’s home is subject to Fourth Amendment protections against searches, and that using a drug dog to sniff around constitutes a search. Police officers were effectively trespassing when they walked to the front door …