Supreme Court Decision Syllabus (SCOTUS Podcast)
Following what the Supreme Court is actually doing can be daunting. Reporting on the subject is often only done within the context of political narratives of the day -- and following the Court's decisions and reading every new case can be a non-starter. The purpose of this Podcast is to make it as easy as possible for members of the public to source information about what is happening at the Supreme Court. For that reason, we read every Opinion Syllabus without any commentary whatsoever. Further, there are no advertisements or sponsors. We call it "information sourcing," and we hope that the podcast is a useful resource for members of the public who want to understand the legal issues of the day, prospective law students who want to get to know legal language and understand good legal writing, and attorneys who can use the podcast to be better advocates for their clients.
*Note this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only.
Episodes
533 episodes
Chevron USA Inc. v. Plaquemines Parish
Chevron has plausibly alleged a close relationship between its challenged crude-oil production and the performance of its federal avgas refining duties—not a tenuous, remote, or peripheral one—and has therefore satisfied the “relating to”...
Chiles v. Salazar (First Amendment & talk therapy)
The Court held that Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy,” as applied to a licensed counselor providing only talk therapy, likely violates the First Amendment because it regulates speech based on content and viewpoint. Writing for the majority...
Rico v. United States (tolling supervised release)
The Supreme Court held that the Sentencing Reform Act does not permit courts to automatically extend a defendant’s term of supervised release when the defendant absconds, reversing the Ninth Circuit’s rule that treated time on the run as ...
Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment (Secondary Copyright infringment--Contributory Liablity)
The provider of a service is contributorily liable for a user’s infringement only if it intended that the provided service be used for infringement, which can be shown only if the party induced the infringement or the provided service is tailor...
Zorn v. Linton (Qualified Immunity)
2nd Circuit held an officer was not entitled to qualified immunity, the Supreme Court Disagrees and Reverses the order of the 2nd Circuit.By the Supreme Courts facts (which it was required to consider in the light least favora...
OLIVIER v. CITY OF BRANDON (§1983 Suits to enjoin future prosecution).
a claim for “prospective injunctive relief ”—the use of fairer procedures in the future—may “properly be brought under §1983,” because it does not depend on showing the “in validity of a previous” sentencing decision.
Urias-Orellana v. Bondi (Level of Deference for Immigration Appeals)
In Urias‑Orellana v. Bondi, the Supreme Court unanimously held that courts of appeals must apply the substantial-evidence standard when reviewing the Board of Immigration Appeals’ determination that a set of facts does not amount ...
Galette v. New Jersey Transit (Sovereign Immunity)
In 1979, the New Jersey Legislature created the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) as a “body corporate and politic with corporatesuccession” and constituted it as an “instrumentality of the State exercising public and essential go...
MIRABELLI v. BONTA (TRANSGENDER AND FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION)
It's a ruling about procedure, but they'd like you to know how they believe the Court below should rule. That Free Exercise of Religion should Trump the State of California's right to tell Schools to withold knowledge of a students' decision to...
Villareal v. Texas (Sixth Amendment right to counsel)
In a decision affirming the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the Supreme Court held that a trial court may, during an overnight recess that interrupts a defendant’s testimony, prohibit counsel from “managing” or shaping the defendant’s ongoing ...
GEO Group v. Menocal (Civil Procedure/Appealability)
Petitioner GEO Group operates a private detention facility in Aurora, Colorado, under a contract with U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Respondent Alejandro Menocal, a former detainee at the Aurora facility, initiated this class ...
Hain Celestial Group, Inc. v. Palmquist (Civil Procedure and DIVERSITY JURISDICTION)
Held: Because the District Court’s erroneous dismissal of Whole Foods did not cure the jurisdictional defect that existed when this case was removed to federal court, the Fifth Circuit correctly vacated the judg ment in Hain’s favor. ...
Postal Service v. Konan (Sov. Immunity/FTCA)
The Fed Government retains sovereign immunity under the FTCA for intentional non-delivery of mail.
LEARNING RESOURCES, INC. v. TRUMP (President's Tariff Authority)
No one Authorized President Trump to impose these "Emergency" Tariffs under the IEEPA (International Emergency Economic Powers Act).
KLEIN v. MARTIN (AEDPA STANDARDS AGAIN)
The Court Below granted relief when it should have not.Judge Niemeyer of the 4th Circuit was the lone dissent--contending that the majority had defied AEDPA’s standard of review--the 84 year old Jurist with 36 years service on that court...
Ellingberg v. United States (Restitution & Ex Post Facto Clause)
The Court unanimously held that restitution imposed under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act is a form of criminal punishment, meaning it cannot be applied to conduct that occurred before the statute was enacted without violating the E...
BOWE v. UNITED STATES
1. The Court has jurisdiction because §2244(b)(3)(E) does not bar this Court’s review of a federal prisoner’s request to file a second or successive §2255 motion. Pp. 5–19. (a) Section 2244(b)(3)(E) provides that the denial of authorizati...
Doe v. Dynamic Physical Therapy, LLC
State Courts may not grant releif from FEDERAL causes of action by reference to state statute.
CONEY ISLAND AUTO PARTS v. BURTON, (Bankruptcy, Civil Procedure, Void Judgement vs. Time Limits)
an appeal of a VOID judgement under federal rule 60 is still subject to the statutory text's "within a reasonable time" limit.
BARRETT v. UNITED STATES (Hobbs Act Robbery/Blockburger Test)
Supreme Court refuses to assume that Congress intended to disregard Blockburger and allow someone to be convicted of two crimes in the same statute. Congress' clear intent here was to create two potential sentencing schemes, not allow someone t...
Case v. Montana (4a's Community Caretaker Exception)
Supreme Court Upholds Montana's Community Caretaker exception to the 4th amendment prohibition on warrantless searches.
Clark v. Sweeney (Party Presentation)
In Clark v. Sweeney, the Supreme Court reversed a Fourth Circuit decision that had granted habeas relief on a theory the petitioner never raised. A Maryland jury convicted...
Pitts v. Mississippi (Confrontation Clause)
The United States Supreme Court reversed a decision of the Mississippi Supreme Court upholding the use of a physical screen that prevented a four-year-old child witness from seeing the defendant during trial. Mississippi law mandates the use of...