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.
Portugal v. Franklin County
Ruled that the Washington Voting Rights Act was valid and constitutional on its face
Conservation Commission v. Bailey
Held that legislature lacked authority to restrict Conservation Commission from using funds for constitutionally enumerated purposes, thus violating separation of powers principles
State v. Hamby
Ruled that there was no violation of unanimous jury verdict rule despite alleged flaws in jury instructions, as nature of evidence abated risk that jury did not “substantially agree” to acts described in instructions
Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association v. NYS Department of Transportation
Ruled that regulation authorizing roadside inspection of a commercial vehicle’s electronic logging device data fell within the administrative search exception to the warrant requirement
Berkson v. State ex rel. Askins
Ruled statute requiring court to collect fees for a lengthy trial fund from attorneys who file civil actions was not an unconstitutionally prohibited "special law"
The State ex rel. One Person One Vote v. Ohio Ballot Board
Held that language of proposed amendment seeking to make it harder to amend state constitution via initiative petition was partly misleading, and thus remanded to ballot board for revision
Planned Parenthood of Heartland, Inc. v. Reynolds
Issued a split opinion as to the constitutionality of abortion ban, leaving in place lower court decision
A.B. v. S.U.
Ruled that a statute reviving an otherwise time-barred claim of child sexual abuse did not violate state equivalent to due process
State v. Gonzalez (In re Sargent)
Ruled that trial courts may deny bail to defendants charged with class A felony offenses because the constitution focuses on whether the offense in general, not as charged to the specific defendant, is punishable by the possibility of life in prison
Joseph v. State
Ruled that the state constitution does not require probable cause for an exterior canine sniff of a vehicle
