US Supreme Court Docket
April 2000
Monday, April 17, 2000
Thomas E. Raleigh, Chapter 7 Trustee for Estate of William J. Stoecker, v. Illinois Department of Revenue (No. 99-387)
Subject:
Bankruptcy, sales tax, burden of proof
Question:
Should tax claims in bankruptcy cases be given the advantage of placing the burden of persuasion on an objecting trustee, in contrast to the rule applicable to the claims of other creditors?
Decisions:
- Seventh Circuit: No. 98-3590, Decided: 06/02/1999
- United States Supreme Court, Decided: June 5, 2000
-
Parties:
- Petitioner [PDF]
- Respondent [PDF]
Amicus - Petitioner: - Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation [PDF]
Amicus - Respondent: - United States for Respondent [PDF]
- State of New Mexico et al. for Respondent [PDF]
- The Council of State Governments et al. for Respondent [PDF]
Harris Trust and Savings Bank v. Salomon Smith Barney Inc. (No. 99-579)
Subject:
ERISA, pensions, brokers, fiduciary duty
Question:
Whether a non-fiduciary party in interest with respect to an employee benefit plan that engages in a prohibitied transaction, as defined in 406(a)(1) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA"), 29 U.S.C. 1106(a)(1), with the plan can be sued under ERISA 502(a)(3), 29 U.S.C. 1132(a)(3), for "appropriate equitable relief," including restitution.
Decisions:
- Seventh Circuit: No. 98-1812, Decided: 07/06/1999
- United States Supreme Court, Decided: June 12, 2000
-
Parties:
- Petitioners [PDF]
- Respondents [PDF]
Amicus - Petitioner: - AARP et al. [PDF]
- United States [PDF]
Amicus - Respondent: - American Council of Life Insurers et al. [PDF]
- Bond Market Association et al. [PDF]
Tuesday, April 18, 2000
United States v. Richard A. French, et al. (No. 99-582)
Subject:
Prison Litigation Reform Act, state prisons, federal oversight
Question:
- Whether a district court has authority to suspend the automatic stay under traditional equitable standards.
- Whether the automatic stay provision violates constitutional separation-of-powers principles.
- Seventh Circuit: No. 97-3075, Decided: May 6, 1999
- United States Supreme Court, Decided: June 19, 2000
-
Parties:
- Petitioner - Petition [PDF]
- Petitioner - Petition (Reply) [PDF]
- Petitioner Miller et al. [PDF]
- Petitioner United States [PDF]
- Respondents [PDF]
- Petitioner Miller et al. - Reply [PDF]
- Petitioner United States - Reply [PDF]
Amicus - Petitioner: - Washington Legal Foundation et al. [PDF]
- State of Texas et al. [PDF]
- Americans for Effective Law Enforcement, et al. [PDF]
- National Governor's Association [PDF]
- Association of State Correctional Administrators, et al. [PDF]
- Criminal Justice Legal Foundation [PDF]
Amicus - Respondent: - Law Professor Erwin Chemerinsky et al. [PDF]
- Plaintiff Class of Prisoners in Taylor v. State of Arizona [PDF]
- Public Citizen [PDF]
Charles B. Miller, Superintendent, Pendleton Correctional Facility et al. v. Richard A. French, et al. (No. 99-224)
Subject:
Prison Litigation Reform Act, state prisons, federal oversight
Question:
- Does a district court have authority to suspend 18 U.S.C. 3626(e) under traditional equitable standards?
- Does 18 U.S.C. 3626(e) violate separation-of-powers principles by legislatively specifying a rule of decision or legislatively annulling a judgment?
- Seventh Circuit: 97-3075, Decided: 05/06/1999
- United States Supreme Court, Decided: June 19, 2000
-
Parties:
- Petitioner - Petition [PDF]
- Petitioner - Petition (Reply) [PDF]
- Petitioner Miller et al. [PDF]
- Petitioner United States [PDF]
- Respondents [PDF]
- Petitioner Miller et al. - Reply [PDF]
- Petitioner United States - Reply [PDF]
Amicus - Petitioner: - Washington Legal Foundation et al. [PDF]
- State of Texas et al. [PDF]
- Americans for Effective Law Enforcement, et al. [PDF]
- National Governor's Association [PDF]
- Association of State Correctional Administrators, et al. [PDF]
- Criminal Justice Legal Foundation [PDF]
Amicus - Respondent: - Law Professor Erwin Chemerinsky et al. [PDF]
- Plaintiff Class of Prisoners in Taylor v. State of Arizona [PDF]
- Public Citizen [PDF]
Bobby Lee Ramdass, Petitioner v. Ronald J. Angelone, Director, Virginia Department of Corrections (No. 99-7000)
Subject:
Capital punishment, juries, sentencing, life without parole
Decisions:
- Fourth Circuit: No. 98-30, 98-32, Decided: August 3, 1999
- United States Supreme Court, Decided: June 12, 2000
-
Parties:
- Petitioner - Reply [PDF]
Wednesday, April 19
Charles Thomas Dickerson, Petitioner v. United States (No. 99-5525)
Subject:
Fifth Amendment, self-incrimination, Miranda warning
Question:
Whether a voluntary confession may be admitted into evidence in the government's case-in-chief under 18 U.S.C. 3501, nothwithstanding that the confession was taken in violation of the requirements of Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966).
Decisions:
- Fourth Circuit: No. 97-4750, Decided: February 8, 1999
- United States Supreme Court, Decided: June 26, 2000
-
Parties:
- Petitioner [PDF]
- Respondent United States [PDF]
- Petitioner - Reply [PDF]
- Respondent United States - Reply [PDF]
Amicus - Petitioner: - American Civil Liberties Union [PDF]
- Griffin B. Bell, et al. [PDF]
- House Democratic Leadership [PDF]
- National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, et al. [PDF]
- National Legal Aid and Defender Association [PDF]
- Rutherford Institute [PDF]
Amicus - Respondent: - Benjamin R. Civiletti [PDF]
Amicus - Neither Party: - Americans for Effective Law Enforcement, Inc., et al. - Affirmance [PDF]
- Arizona Voices for Victims et al. - Affirmance [PDF]
- Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the US House of Representatives - Affirmance [PDF]
- Paul G. Cassell et al. - Affirmance [PDF]
- Center for the Community Interest - Affirmance [PDF]
- Center for the Original Intent of the Constitution - Affirmance [PDF]
- Citizens for Law and Order et al. - Affirmance [PDF]
- Criminal Justice Legal Foundation - Affirmance [PDF]
- Former U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr et al. - Affirmance [PDF]
- Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association - Affirmance [PDF]
- Fraternal Order of Police - Affirmance [PDF]
- Manning & Marder, Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez - Affirmance [PDF]
- Maricopa County Attorney's Office - Affirmance [PDF]
- National Association of Police Organizations et al. - Affirmance [PDF]
- National District Attorneys Association et al. - Affirmance [PDF]
- Senator Orrin G. Hatch et al. - Affirmance [PDF]
Floyd J. Carter, Petitioner v. United States (No. 99-5716)
Subject:
Lesser offense, jury, bank robbery, bank larceny
Question:
Whether federal bank larceny, 18 U.S.C. 2113(b), is a lesser included offense of federal bank robery, 18 U.S.C. 2113(a), as a matter of law.
Decisions:
- Third Circuit: No. 98-5491, Decided: June 16, 1999
- United States Supreme Court, Decided: June 12, 2000
-
Parties:
- Petitioner [PDF]
- Respondent [PDF]
Amicus - Petitioner: - National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers et al. [PDF]
Monday, April 24, 2000
California Democratic Party, et al. v. Jones, California Secretary of State (No. 99-401)
Subject:
First Amendment, Freedom of Association, voting, open primaries
Question:
- Whether California's new blanket primary law - which allows voters of any political affiliation to cross party lines at will and to vote in other parties' primaries - violates the First Amendment rights of political parties to associate and to choose their own nominees.
- Whether the associational rights of political parties are afforded less protection under the First Amendment than the associational rights of other private associations.
- Ninth Circuit: No. 97-17440, 17442, Decided: March 4, 1999
- United States Supreme Court, Decided: June 26, 2000
-
Parties:
- Petitioner [PDF]
- Respondents [PDF]
Amicus - Petitioner: - Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund et al. [PDF]
- Northern California Committee for Party Renewal et al. [PDF]
- Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee [PDF]
- Republican Party of Alaska, Inc., et al. [PDF]
Amicus - Respondent: - State of Washington et al. for Respondents [PDF]
- Alaskan Voters for an Open Primary (AVOP) for Respondents [PDF]
- William E. Brock et al. for Respondents [PDF]
Amicus - Neither Party: - Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law for Neither Party [PDF]
Jaime Castillo, et al., Petitioners v. United States (No. 99-658)
Subject:
Sentence enhancement, machine gun, 18 U.S.C. ยง 924(c)(1), Branch Davidian, Waco
Question:
- Whether the specified firearm type is an element of an offense under 18 U.S.C. 924(c)(1) which must be alleged in the indictment and found by the jury beyond a resonable doubt, or is a sentencing factor to be found by the judge by a preponderance of evidence.
- Whether equivocal "legislative history" overrides the doctrine of constitutional doubt set forth in Jones v. United States, 526 U.S. 227(1999), that a statute must be interpreted to avoid possible unconstitutionality under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments.
- Fifth Circuit: No. 97-50708, Decided: 06/22/1999
- Fifth Circuit: No. 97-50708, Revised: 08/02/1999
- United States Supreme Court, Decided: June 5, 2000
-
Parties:
- Petitioner [PDF]
Amicus - Petitioner: - Law Enforcement Alliance of America, Inc. [PDF]
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers et al. [PDF]
Tuesday, April 25, 2000
Don Stenberg, Attorney General of Nebraska, et al., Petitioners v. Leroy Carhart (No. 99-830)
Subject:
Abortion, undue burden, dilation and extraction, partial birth abortion
Question:
Whether Nebraska's "partial birth abortion" statute creates an undue burden on the right to abortion.
Decisions:
- Eighth Circuit: No. 98-3245/3300, Decided: September 24, 1999 [PDF]
- United States Supreme Court, Decided: June 28, 2000
-
Parties:
- Petitioner [PDF]
- Respondent [PDF]
Amicus - Petitioner: - National Association of Prolife Nurses, Inc. [PDF]
- State of Louisiana et al.
- State of Texas [PDF]
- Family Research Council [PDF]
- State of Wisconsin [PDF]
- United States Catholic Conference et al. [PDF]
- Family First [PDF]
- Association of American Physicians and Surgeons et al. [PDF]
- State of Virginia et al. [PDF]
- American Center for Law and Justice et al. [PDF]
- Feminists for Life of America et al. [PDF]
- Agudath Israel of America [PDF]
- U.S. Representative Charles T. Canady et al. [PDF]
- National Right to Life Committee [PDF]
- Knights of Columbus [PDF]
Amicus - Respondent: - Senator Barbara Boxer et al. [PDF]
- Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin et al. [PDF]
- American College of Obstretricians and Gynecologists et al. [PDF]
- American Civil Liberties Union et al. [PDF]
- Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice et al. [PDF]
- State of California Attorney General Bill Lockyer [PDF]
- Seventy-five Organizations Committed to Women's Equality [PDF]
- Naral Foundation et al. [PDF]
- State of New York et al. [PDF]
Arizona v. California (No. 8, Original)
Subject:
Colorado River water rights
Question:
Whether this Court's decision in Arizona v. California, 373 U.S. 546 (1963) (Arizona I), and Arizona v. California, 460 U.S. 605 (1983) (Arizona II), preclude the United States and the Quechan Tribe from asserting water rights claims in this proceeding.
Decisions:
Briefs:
Wednesday, April 26, 2000
Boy Scouts of America and Monmouth Council, et al. v. James Dale (No. 99-699)
Subject:
First Amendment, Freedom of Association, Boy Scouts, public accommodation, sexual orientation
Question:
Whether a state law requiring a Boy Scout Troop to appoint an avowed homosexual and gay rights activist as an Assistant Scoutmaster responsbile for communicating Boy Scouting's moral value to youth members abridges First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of association.
Decisions:
- New Jersey Supreme Court: No. A-195/196, Decided: 08/04/1999
- United States Supreme Court, Decided: June 28, 2000
-
Parties:
- Petitioner [PDF]
- Respondent [PDF]
Amicus - Petitioner: - Agudath Israel of American [PDF]
- American Center for Law and Justice et al. [PDF]
- American Civil Rights Union [PDF]
- Becket Fund for Religious Liberty [PDF]
- California State Club Association et al. [PDF]
- Center for the Original Intent of the Constitution [PDF]
- Christian Legal Society et al. [PDF]
- The Claremont Institute Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence (Petition) [PDF] [RTF]
- The Claremont Institute Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence [PDF] [RTF]
- Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund [PDF]
- Family Defense Council et al. [PDF]
- Family Research Council [PDF]
- Gays and Lesbians for Individual Liberty [PDF]
- Individual Rights Foundation [PDF]
- Institute for Public Affairs of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America [PDF]
- John J. Hurley et al. [PDF]
- Liberty Legal Institute [PDF]
- National Legal Foundation [PDF]
- National Catholic Committee on Scouting et al. [PDF]
- Public Advocate of the United States [PDF]
- U.S. Catholic Conference et al. [PDF]
Amicus - Respondent: - American Association of School Administrators et al. [PDF]
- American Bar Association [PDF]
- American Civil Liberties Union et al. [PDF]
- American Jewish Congress [PDF]
- American Psychological Association [PDF]
- American Public Health Association [PDF]
- City of Atlanta et al. [PDF]
- Deans of Divinity Schools and Rabbinical Institutions [PDF]
- General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church et al. [PDF]
- Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Inc. et al. [PDF]
- Society of American Law Teachers [PDF]
- State of New Jersey [PDF]
- State of New York et al. [PDF]
- Roland Pool et al. [PDF]
Amicus - Neither Party: - Pacific Legal Foundation - Reversal [PDF]
Florida Dept. of Corrections v. Dickson, Wellington, et al. (No. 98-829)
Subject:
Eleventh Amendment, ADA, state and local government, disabilities, immunity
Decisions:
Eleventh Circuit: No. 96-2788, 3773, 6947, Decided: 08/17/1998
Briefs:
None