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 August 2024.
Featured Cases
Genser v. Butler County Board of Elections
Held citizens whose mail-in ballots were disqualified for a failure to return them in the required secrecy envelope have a right to cast a provisional ballot and have it count.
Gonzalez v. Miller
Unanimously affirmed the denial of a district attorney’s effort to dismiss a state Open Records Act request relating to her office’s “failure . . . to effectively prosecute criminal cases, and an open disregard for the laws of the State of Georgia"
Republican National Committee v. Eternal Vigilance Action, Inc
The Georgia Supreme Court left in place a lower court ruling that several controversial new election rules are “illegal, unconstitutional, and void.” The rules would have made election certification discretionary, required hand-counting the number of ballots, made drop boxes harder to use, and expanded the role of poll watchers. The appeal will proceed on a normal schedule, which means the state supreme court will fully consider the challenge against the rules over the next few months.
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
