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.
James v. Heinrich
Held that pandemic order restricting or prohibiting in-person instruction violated right to free exercise of religion
Velazquez v. University Physician Associates
Dissent wrote that statute capping non-economic damages for statutory medical malpractice cause of action violates constitutional right to trial by jury
Doyle v. Tidball
Ruled that because voter-initiated amendment expanding Medicaid does not expressly appropriate money, such amendment does not violate constitutional prohibition against appropriation by initiative
Smith v. Isakson
Ruled that courts must look to offense's historical nature and the severity of the penalty to determine whether right to jury trial was preserved for the crime
Pennsylvania Environmental Defense Foundation v. Commonwealth
Ruled that statutes diverting to the state's general fund revenue generated from oil and gas leases on state lands violate clause placing the state's natural resources in public trust
Carrigan v. New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services
Ruled that taxpayers standing to seek declaration that the state misspent public funds only extends to discrete governmental spending action, not overall allocation of resources
In re Interrogatories on Senate Bill 21-247 Submitted by the Colorado General Assembly
Ruled that redistricting amendments prohibit the legislature from taking any actions that would curtail the independence of the redistricting commission or courts
State v. Recall Dunleavy
Ruled recall committee exercising constitutional right to recall governor submitted legally and factually sufficient allegations to Division of Elections to certify application
State v. Bemer
Ruled statute permitting court to order defendant to submit to exam for sexually transmitted diseases based only on having been charged with a sexual act offense violated right to be free from unreasonable searches
McLaughlin v. Montana State Legislature
Ruled that legislative subpoenas for the production of Court Administrator's devices used to facilitate polling of state judges and emails exceed the scope of legislative authority
