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.
State v. Sargent
Ruled police questioning about conditions of defendant’s pretrial release exceeded the permissible scope of a traffic stop and was an unlawful seizure
Commonwealth v. Barr
Ruled that odor of marijuana alone does not amount to probable cause to conduct a warrantless search of a vehicle under the state constitution
State v. Smith
Ruled defendant’s failure to stop for a minor traffic violation did not create an exigency for a warrantless search after defendant invoked his right to privacy in his driveway
In re Interest of Y.W.-B.
Ruled state’s protection against unreasonable searches applies to searches conducted in civil child neglect proceedings and no exception exists without consent or exigent circumstances
Commonwealth v. Talley
Ruled trial court may constitutionally deny bail if state proffers evidence under a substantially more likely than not standard that an accused is nonbailable
Commonwealth v. Sweeting-Bailey
Dissents wrote that majority's view that police reasonably suspected that the defendant was armed based on companion’s behavior allows for encroachment on right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure
The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. v. The City of Cleveland
Ruled a municipal utility may acquire excess electricity capacity without violating the constitution so long as the acquisition was not for the sole purpose of reselling it
League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania v. Degraffenreid
Enjoined the tabulating and certifying of votes on victim’s rights ballot question, ruled amendment violated constitution’s separate vote requirement
The Detroit News, Inc. v. Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission
Ruled redistricting commission’s closed-session meeting and withholding of memoranda requested by news organizations violated open meetings and publication of supporting materials requirements
Dunleavy v. Alaska Legislative Council ex rel. Alaska State Legislature
Ruled that laws defining legislative inaction as tantamount to rejection, in the context of appointments and confirmations, violate the state constitution
