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 April 2024.
Featured Cases
Texas v. Loe
The Texas Supreme Court refused to block a ban on certain medical treatments for transgender minors, saying the state legislature had a rational basis for passing the law and that it does not improperly infringe on the rights of parents to make medical decisions for the children or on physicians’ abilities to treat patients. The court also said the law does not constitute sex discrimination and declined to treat transgender people as a protected class.
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Inc, et al. v. Kim Reynolds, et al.
The Iowa Supreme Court held that abortion is not a fundamental right under the state constitution and is only subject to rational basis review. The court reversed a lower court injunction halting the state's "fetal heartbeat" law.
Drummond v. Statewide Virtual Charter Schoolboard
Ruled that the state education board’s approval of a Catholic school's application to be a public charter school violated the Oklahoma Constitution, the federal Establishment Clause, and the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act
People v. Flores
Ruled that trying to avoid contact with or being seen by police is not enough to allow police to detain a person or hold them for questioning.
Cobb County v. Floam
Held that the claims of two citizens who sought a declaratory judgment that their local board of commissioners acted unconstitutionally when it changed the commission district boundaries lines must be dismissed because the plaintiffs did not show any uncertainty as to their future conduct that warranted declaratory relief.
Rainwaters v. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Rejected federal "open fields" exception to the federal Fourth Amendment in interpreting Article I, Section 7, of the Tennessee Constitution
Legislature of the State of California v. Weber
The California Supreme Court will decide, without the benefit of lower court review, whether to remove from November’s ballot a proposed initiative that would require voter approval of nearly any new statewide or local tax.
In re Covid-related Restrictions on Religious Services
Members of the Christian clergy claim Delaware’s restrictions on communal religious worship in churches during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic violated their constitutionally protected religious freedoms. On appeal, the state supreme court will consider whether the governor is entitled to sovereign immunity for exercising his powers under the state’s emergency act.
Joshua v. State
Three siblings who spent years of their childhood in the foster care system, where they suffered sexual and physical abuse, were barred by sovereign immunity from bringing claims against the state relating to that abuse.
Midsouth Association of Independent Schools v. Parents for Public Schools
Ruled that non-profit organization Parents for Public Schools lacked standing because they could not demonstrate an adverse impact to a 2022 law that allowed independent schools to apply for federal and state funds for certain infrastructure improvements allocated in response to the Covid pandemic.
Hogan v. Southern Methodist University
Held that a pandemic era law that protected schools from having to pay monetary damages for changes made to the academic experience did not violate a Texas Constitution clause prohibiting retroactive laws.
Barrett v. Montana
Ruled that three 2021 laws regulating universities were unconstitutional, including the “Save Women’s Sports Act” that banned transgender athletes from playing on women’s college teams.
City of Lancaster v. Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
Ruled that the Public Utility Commission's regulation addressing gas meters in historic districts did not unconstitutionally delegate unfettered authority to natural gas distribution companies to determine location of gas meters in historic districts