State Case Database
Search State Court Report's database of significant state supreme court decisions and pending cases. Download decisions and briefs for cases that develop state constitutional law. This is a selected database and does not include every state supreme court case. See methodology and "How to Use the State Case Database" for more information.
This database is updated monthly, although individual cases may be updated more frequently. Last updated comprehensively with cases decided through June 2025.
Featured Cases
Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina
The North Carolina Supreme Court overturned its own precedent and put an end to more than 30 years of litigation involving the funding of public education in the state.
Commonwealth v. Lee
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that mandating a life sentence, without the possibility of parole, for “felony murder” — a legal doctrine that allows someone to be prosecuted for murder for any death that occurs during the commission of a separate felony, even if the defendant never meant to kill anyone — violates the Pennsylvania Constitution’s ban on “cruel” punishments
Luther v. Hoskins
The Missouri Supreme Court rejected voters' challenge to Missouri's new congressional district map, which the plaintiffs said ran afoul of state constitutional prohibitions on mid-decade redistricting. The court said the state constitution contained no express prohibition on mid-decade redistricting and that the map was a "valid exercise" of the "plenary legislative power to establish congressional districts."
Columbus City School District v. State
Trial court found the state’s recently expanded EdChoice school voucher program violates the state constitution’s requirement of “a thorough and efficient system of common schools.”
Englewood Hospital & Medical Center v. State
New Jersey Supreme Court rejected claims by a group of hospitals that the state’s “charity care program” — which prevents them from turning away people unable to pay and from billing qualified patients — constitutes an illegal "per se" or regulatory taking under the state and federal constitutions.
Montenegro v. Fontes
Arizona Supreme Court held state lawmakers have standing to challenge provisions of a citizen-initiated campaign-disclosure law they allege improperly delegate legislative power to a commission in violation of separation of powers.
State v. Haynes
Connecticut Supreme Court declined to depart from precedent, based on federal case law, permitting prosecutors to impeach a defendant's trial testimony using statements obtained in violation of the defendant's Miranda rights.
People v. Eads
Michigan Supreme Court will consider appeal of intermediate decision finding a 50-year minimum sentence for a defendant convicted of second-degree murder as a juvenile to be "cruel or unusual" punishment
Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers v. State of Missouri
Asking the court to declare unconstitutional and block enforcement of Missouri’s ban on abortion, its ban on the use of telemedicine for abortion, the 72-hour waiting period for the procedure, and multiple other restrictive abortion-related laws.
Southern Methodist University v. South Central Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church
Concurrence to Texas Supreme Court decision finding a church conference has statutory authority to sue Southern Methodist University for breach of contract, in which four justices highlighted the need to consider the extent to which the state constitution protects the autonomy of religious organizations, independent of the First Amendment.
People v. Armstrong
Michigan Supreme Court held that, following the state's legalization of some marijuana use and possession, the smell of marijuana, standing alone, does not constitute probable cause to justify the warrantless search of a car.
Sikora v. Iowa
Iowa Supreme Court held that a former incarcerated person’s state constitutional and tort damages claims against the state and correction officers for releasing him from prison five months late were barred by the legislature’s choice not to waive sovereign immunity for false imprisonment claims. Three dissenting justices would have held that the right to sue an official for false imprisonment was part of the common law at the state constitution’s adoption and was secured by its liberty guarantees, precluding legislators from eliminating that right in the state tort claims act.
Kansas v. Harper
Trial court found requirement that drivers' licenses display sex as assigned at birth did not violate equal protection by discriminating based on sex or transgender status, or a right to personal autonomy or informational privacy. Appellate court reversed on separate grounds and remanded to a new judge
