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 January 2025.
Featured Cases
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.
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.
N'Da v. Hybl
Nebraska Supreme Court held that statutory requirement that applicant seeking certificate to provide nonemergency medical transport must show the proposed service is required by "public convenience and necessity" does not facially violate state constitutional due process or bans on "special laws" or laws granting "special privileges and immunities." Also held that that the Nebraska Constitution's due process and equal protection clauses are coextensive with their federal equivalents, so federal rational basis review applies to substantive due process challenges to economic regulations, not the heightened standard the court had applied in a line of cases from the early 20th century.
Smith v. Iowa District Court for Polk County
Held that the Iowa Constitution contains a legislative privilege that protects legislators from compelled document production
Commonwealth v. Shepherd
Held that the state's right to equal protection did not require the retroactive application of a new rule requiring proof of actual malice for felony murder
The Reverend Traci Blackmon v. Missouri
Plaintiffs claim that abortion ban and other restrictions violate the state constitution's protections for religious freedom
Six Brothers, Inc. v. Town of Brookline
Upheld local law that would gradually make it illegal to sell tobacco products within town limits; held regulation is not preempted by state tobacco regulations and does not violate equal protection
Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region v. Knodell
Concurrence would have held that the state constitution unambiguously exempts appropriation bills from the single subject requirement and was therefore inapplicable to the bill at issue, which professed to eliminate Medicaid funding for abortion providers and their affiliates
Schaad v. Alder
Ruled that an income tax statute providing that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, workers would be taxed by municipality that was their principal place of work rather than by municipality where they actually performed their work, did not violate state's Home Rule Amendment
BABE VOTE v. McGrane
Held that laws prohibiting the use of student IDs for voting purposes did not violate the state constitution
Native Village of Kwinhagak v. State, Department of Health & Social Services
Held that both the State's delay in notifying other parties to “child in need of aid” case of child's admission to hospital, as well as the 46-day delay between the child's hospitalization and the hearing on whether such hospitalization was justified, violated procedural due process
In re Noem
Held that the contract clause of the state constitution prohibits a legislator, or former legislator within one year following the expiration of the legislator's term, from being interested, directly or indirectly, in contracts that are authorized by laws passed during the legislator's term, but does not categorically prohibit all contracts between legislators and the State
Becerra v. State
Ruled that the presence of an alternate juror during a petit jury's deliberations did not violate the state constitutional right to a jury composed of twelve people; however, the alternate juror's participation in jury deliberations was impermissible and violated provision in the code of criminal procedure
