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State v. Hicks
Will consider whether Wyoming's "cruel or unusual" punishment clause provides greater protections against mandatory life-without-parole sentences for late adolescents (those who were under 21 at the time of the crime) than the federal Eighth Amendment does. Will also consider whether such sentences violate state constitutional clauses providing the "penal code shall be framed on the humane principles of reformation and prevention" and for equal protection.
What’s at Stake in the Wisconsin Supreme Court Election
An election for an open seat on Wisconsin’s high court has become the most expensive judicial race in history, highlighting the rising national stakes and increasing politicization of state judicial elections.
Everything You Need to Know About Applying For and Clerking on a State High Court
Sitting state supreme court justices from four states opened up about what they look for in applicants, what clerks do day-to-day, and more.
Louisiana Voters Considering Constitutional Changes that Expand Legislative Power
This week’s ballot asks voters to overhaul the state tax code, give lawmakers more power over creation of courts and juveniles’ punishments, and more.
Fossella v. Adams
Struck down New York City law that allows non-U.S. citizens who are lawful permanent residents or who have work authorizations to vote in municipal elections, finding that the state constitution restricts voting to citizens.
Moe v. Yost
An Ohio appellate court struck down a state ban on gender-affirming medical care for trans youth, holding that it violated the state constitution's "health care freedom" amendment and the fundamental right of parents to seek appropriate medical care for their children. The court remanded the case to the trial court to impose a permanent injunction as to enforcement of the law's provisions banning the use of puberty blockers and hormones “for the purpose of assisting the minor individual with gender transition.” The state attorney general has appealed the decision to the Ohio Supreme Court.
Natalie R. v. State of Utah
Plaintiffs claim that state's policy of promoting fossil-fuel development violates their substantive due process rights to life and to be free from government conduct that endangers health and safety
Montanans Against Irresponsible Densification v. State
Reversed lower court's preliminary injunction against state laws requiring municipalities to allow multi-unit dwellings in single-family zoned areas, finding that the state constitutional right to acquire and protect property is subject to the state's police power and that the "possibility" of constitutional harm is insufficient to support an injunction.
Dupuis v. Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland
Held that a law that revived claims based on sex acts toward minors that were previously time-barred impairs a defendant's vested right to be free from a claim once its statute of limitations has expired, finding that a prohibition on laws reviving expired claims "runs as a theme" throughout the text of Maine's Constitution.
State v. Francisco Edgar Tirado
Held that North Carolina's "cruel or unusual" punishment clause — construed consistently with a separate state constitutional provision specifying the types of punishment laws may impose, without limitations based on age — would provide less protection against life-without-parole sentences for juveniles than the Eighth Amendment, so must be interpreted in lockstep with the federal "cruel and unusual" punishment clause.
