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 February 2025.
Featured Cases
LeMieux v. Evers
The Wisconsin Supreme Court held, in a divided decision, that the governor did not exceed his partial veto authority under the state constitution when he altered digits, words, and punctuation in a budget bill to extend a school funding increase from 2 to 402 years.
Griffin v. State Board of Elections
A candidate for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court, who lost by over 700 votes, claims that the state board of elections followed an incorrect process for registering voters and seeks in invalidate more than 60,000 votes.
People v. Taylor; People v. Czarnecki
Michigan Supreme Court held that mandatory life-without-parole sentences violate the state constitution’s protection against “cruel or unusual” punishment for anyone under age 21 at the time of the offense. The decision extends the court’s 2022 ruling in People v. Parks that such sentences are unconstitutional for those 18 or under.
Valoaga v. State
Held that Department of Corrections' application of preponderance of the evidence standard, rather than clear and convincing evidence standard, in disciplinary proceedings did not violate pretrial inmate's right to due process
State v. Dodge
Held that the defendant adequately preserved, for purposes of appellate review, his argument that his second trial violated his rights against double jeopardy
Bailey v. McKintosh County, Webster v. McIntosh County, McIntosh County v. Webster
Will consider whether to uphold a lower court order stopping a special election, after early voting had already begun, on a local referendum to repeal zoning changes that would increase permissible house sizes in a historic community of slave descendants. The lower court ruled that a state constitutional provision allowing citizens to petition to repeal or amend county ordinances by referendum does not extend to zoning ordinances.
Attorney General v. Hood
Held that the state’s civil rights charges against the Nationalist Social Club-131, a white nationalist and neo-Nazi organization operating in the New England area, in connection with a July 2022 incident where members displayed banners reading “KEEP NEW ENGLAND WHITE” from a highway overpass without a permit, impermissibly chilled the defendant’s constitutional right of free speech and premised on an overbroad reading of the statute
Gotay v. Creen
Held that, given the nature of the state’s custody of children, a “special relationship” exists between foster children and the state that imposes an affirmative duty on the state to ensure a reasonably safe foster home environment. But found the state defendants were entitled to qualified immunity on the plaintiff parent and guardian's substantive due process claim because the state employees did not proximately cause the affected children's injuries.
Montana Environmental Information Center & Sierra Club v. Montana Department of Environmental Quality
Held that the Department of Environmental Quality appropriately considered noise impacts of a proposed project as required under the Montana Environmental Policy Act, but did not analyze lighting impacts and greenhouse gas emissions as required under the then-applicable language of the Act
Montana Trout Unlimited v. Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation
Held that the exemption of dewatering from the Montana Water Use Act's permitting requirements did not violate the water rights section of the state's constitution
Knight v. Fontes
Will consider whether the retention election process for intermediate appellate judges violates the state constitution's "free and equal" election and equal protection provisions. Voters represented by Goldwater Institute allege that the retention elections -- in which voters currently vote only for the appellate judges who reside in their designated geographic area -- should be statewide, as appellate decisions may have statewide impact, and cases are assigned not based on a judge's residency and regularly transferred.
Wasserman v. Franklin County
Held that a plaintiff who asserts only the rights of a third-party lacks standing to sue in Georgia courts, overruling precedent that had imported the federal third-party standing doctrine.
Glen Oaks Village Owners v. City of New York
Will consider whether a New York City law establishing greenhouse gas emission limits for large city buildings is field preempted by a state climate law that sets emissions targets statewide. An intermediate appellate court reversed dismissal of the plaintiffs' preemption claim.
