Supreme Court Haiku

Download PDF of 2010-11 Term Here 

Leal Garcia v. Texas (July 7, 2011) (5-4 per curiam)

Pending death sentence

Vienna claim in future?

No reason for stay

Goodyear Dunlop Tire Operations, S.A. v. Brown (June 27, 2011)

Accident abroad

Foreign tire companies

Cannot be sued here

U.S. v. Juvenile Male (June 27, 2011)

Youth sex offender

Ex post facto law issue

Age makes issue moot

J. McIntyre Machinery, Ltd. v. Nicastro (June 27, 2011)

Hand hurt by machine

Maker did not target state

No jurisdiction

Arizona Free Enterprise Club’s Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett (June 27, 2011)

Campaign matching funds

Caused by opponent spending

Burden on free speech

Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Ass’n (June 27, 2011)

Ban on sales to kids

Violent video games

Fails strict scrutiny

Sorell v. IMS Health Inc. (June 23, 2011)

Prescriber info

Can’t stop sales by pharmacies

For marketing use

CSX Transp. Inc. v. McBride (June 23, 2011)

Railroad worker hurt

Need not show proximate cause

Not like common law

Freeman v. U.S. (June 23, 2011)

Jail time based on plea

Later Guidelines reduction

May reduce sentence

Pliva, Inc. v. Mensin (June 23, 2011)

Generic labels

Inadequate warning claim

FDA preempts

Stern v. Marshall (June 23, 2011)

Anna Nicole case

Tortious interference claim

Not bankruptcy court

Bullcoming v. New Mexico (June 23, 2011)

 Confrontation Clause

Applies to BAC report

Testimonial

Borough of Duryea v. Guarnieri (June 20, 2011)

City police chief

Brought retaliation claim

No free speech issue

Turner v. Rogers (June 20, 2011)

The right to counsel

Applies to civil contempt

Long  jail time in play

Am. Electric Power Co. v. Conn. (June 20, 2011)

Greenhouse gas lawsuit

No federal common law

EPA preempts

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes (June 20, 2011)

Female employess

Claims lack commonality

Don’t certify class

 J.D.B. v. North Carolina (June 16, 2011)

Miranda warning

Was suspect in custody?

Child’s age matters

Davis v. U.S. (June 16, 2011)

Search of vehicle

Change of law before trial

Gun not excluded

Tapia v. U.S. (June 16, 2011)

Alien smuggler

Needed drug rehab program

Can’t lengthen sentence

Bond v. U.S. (June 16, 2011)

Scorned woman burned friend

Has Tenth Amendment standing

Caustic chemicals

Smith v. Bayer Corp. (June 16, 2011)

A federal court

May not enjoin a state court

Certifying class

Flores-Villar v. U.S. (June 13, 2011)

Born outside U.S.

Citizenship easier

Through mom than through dad

Janus Capital Group, Inc. v. First Derivative Traders (June 13, 2011)

Creator of fund

Not liable for statements

Made by fund itself

U.S. v. Jicarilla Apache Nation (June 13, 2011)

U.S. holds tribe lands

Not a fiduciary

Privilege applies

Nevada Comm’n on Ethics v. Carrigan (June 13, 2011)

Public officials

Conflict bars vote, lobbying

Not protected speech

Talk America, Inc. v. Michigan Bell Telephone Co. (June 9, 2011)

Local carriers

Must allow access at cost

Interconnection

Sykes v. U.S. (June 9, 2011)

Flight from cops in car

A violent felony

Three strikes law applies

DePierre v. U.S. (June 9, 2011)

 “Cocaine base” defined

Not limited to just crack

Ten years minimum

Microsoft Corp. v. i4i Ltd. Partnership (June 9, 2011)

Patent invalid?

Defendant’s standard of proof

Clear and convincing

Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Jr. Univ. v. Roche Molecular Sys. (June 6, 2011)

Despite Bayh-Dole Act

Inventor, not contractor

Owns their invention

Erica P. John Fund, Inc. v. Halliburton Co. (June 6, 2011)

Securities fraud

Need not prove loss causation

To certify class

Fox v. Vice (June 6, 2011)

Civil rights action

Fees just for frivolous claims

Not for the whole case

McNeill v. U.S. (June 6, 2011)

Three strikes sentencing

Seriousness determined

At time of priors

Global-Tech Appliances, Inc. v. SEB S.A. (May 31, 2011)

Patented fryers

Willful blindness sufficient

Induced infringement

Ashcroft v. Al-Kidd (May 31, 2011)

Terrorist suspect

Warrant validates arrest

Motive matters not

Camreta v. Greene (May 26, 2011)

State actor prevails

Qualified immunity

May appeal merits

U.S. v. Tinklenberg (May 26, 2011)

 Speedy Trial Act

Seventy Days Exceptions

Motions and travel

Fowler v. U.S. (May 26, 2011)

Witness tampering

Must have been a likelihood

Victim would call Feds

Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A v. Whiting (May 26, 2011)

Immigration laws

Arizona penalties

No Fed preemption

General Dynamics Corp. v. U.S. (May 23, 2011)

Navy stealth bomber

Need to protect state secrets

No relief from courts

Brown v. Plata (May 23, 2011)

Overcrowded jails

Poor medical, mental care

Set prisoners free

CIGNA Corp. v. Amara (May 16, 2011)

Company pension

Annuity changed to cash

Court may prevent harm

Schindler Elevator Corp. v. U.S. ex rel Kirk (May 16, 2011)

False Claims Act qui tam

FOIA responses

“Report” exception

Kentucky v. King (May 16, 2011)

A warrantless search

Drug scent and destruction sounds

Exigent? Perhaps

Bobby v. Mitts (May 2, 2011)

Murder sentencing

Jury given chance to choose

Life in lieu of death

Montana v. Wyoming (May 2, 2011)

Yellowstone River

Water rights and new sprinklers

Montana all wet

AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion (Apr. 27, 2011)

Sales tax on “free” phone

Classwide arbitration sought

FAA preempts

U.S. v. Tohono O’odham Nation (Apr. 26, 2011)

Tribe assets in trust

No Federal Claims Court case

As other claim pends

Sossamon v. Texas (Apr. 20, 2011)

Inmates kept from church

Sovereign immunity

No money from state

Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy v. Stewart (Apr. 19, 2011)

State agencies fight

Federal court may command

“Heed federal law”

Cullen v. Pinholster (Apr. 4, 2011)

Habeas review

Just mom for mitigation

Counsel competent

Arizona Christian School Tuition Org. v. Winn (Apr. 4, 2011)

Church school scholarships

Arizona tax credits

No taxpayer suits

Connick v. Thompson (Mar. 29, 2011)

Lab report withheld

Not persistent and widespread

D.A. not to blame

Astra USA, Inc .v Santa Clara County (Mar. 29, 2011)

Public health clinics

Cannot sue drug companies

To enforce price caps

Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. v. Siracusano (March 22, 2011)

Securities fraud

Cold drug linked to loss of smell

Part of “total mix”

Kasten v. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp. (Mar. 22, 2011)

Retaliation

Term “filed any complaint”

Includes oral claims

Felkner v. Jackson (Mar. 21, 2011) (per curiam)

State Batson rulings

Get “highly deferential”

Federal review

Wall v. Kholi (Mar. 7, 2011)

Habeas deadline

Sentence reduction request

Collateral? Yes

Milner v. Dept. of Navy (Mar. 7, 2011)

For FOIA

Navy munitions storage

Not “personnel rules”

Skinner v. Switzer (Mar. 7, 2011)

DNA testing

Federal civil rights claim

Not just habeas

Pepper v. U.S. (Mar. 2, 2011)

Post-appeal rehab

Supports downward variance

On resentencing

Snyder v. Phelps (March 2, 2011)

Church so full of hate

Pickets soldier’s funeral

Protected discourse

Henderson v. Shinseki (Mar. 1, 2011)

Deadline for appeal

Is not jurisdictional

Vet benefits claim

Staub v. Proctor Hospital (Mar. 1, 2011)

Reservist fired

Middle managers’ actions

Can give rise to claim

FCC v. AT&T, Inc. (March 1, 2011)

FOI request

No “personal privacy”

For corporations

Michigan v. Bryant (Feb. 28, 2011)

Confrontation Clause

Ongoing emergency

I.D. not hearsay

Walker v. Martin (Feb. 23, 2011)

State timeliness test

An independent state grounds

Habeas denied

Williamson v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc. (Feb. 23, 2011)

State wrongful death suit

Minivan backseat lap belt

No tort preemption

Bruesewitz v. Wyeth LLC (Feb. 22, 2011)

Childhood vaccines

Unavoidable effects

No action in tort

CSX Transportation, Inc. v. Alabama Dept. of Revenue (Feb. 22, 2011)

Railroad may challenge

Alabama diesel tax

Rivals do not pay

Swarthout v. Cooke (Jan. 24, 2011)

Habeas corpus

Cannot be used to address

Error of state law

Chase Bank USA, N.A. v. McCoy (Jan. 24, 2011)

Regulation Z

Charge card default fee increase

Notice not needed

Ortiz v. Jordan (Jan. 24, 2011)

After full trial

Denied summary judgment

May not be appealed

Thompson v. North American Stainless, LP (Jan. 24, 2011)

Retaliation

Whether claim was made by you

Or your fiance´

NASA v. Nelson (Jan. 19, 2011)

NASA background check

Government as employer

Drug questions fair game

Premo v. Moore (Jan. 19, 2011)

Police confession

Other murder admissions

Supression futile

Harrington, Warden v. Richter (Jan. 19, 2011)

Blood pool on the floor

Expert not hired to test

Lawyer effective

Ransom v. FIA Card Services, N.A. (Jan. 11, 2011)

Bankruptcy means test

No car expense deduction

If car owned outright

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research v. United States (Jan. 11, 2011)

Doctor residents

Employees, not just students

FICA taxes due

Madison County, New York v. Oneida Indian Nation of New York (Jan. 10, 2011)

Oneida Nation

Sovereign immunity?

Waived by tribe in case

Costco Wholesale Corp. v. Omega, S.A. (Dec. 13, 2010)

Kagan is recused

Copyright, first sale doctrine

Court splits four to four

Los Angeles County v. Humphries (Nov. 30, 2010)

Civil rights action

No lawyers’ fees from county

Prospective relief

Abbott v. United States (Nov. 15, 2010)

Drugs or violence

Five years added to sentence

When gun is carried

Wilson v. Corcoran (Nov. 8, 2010) (per curiam)

Habeas corpus

Not in federal court if

No federal claim