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.
State v. Abu Youm
Dissent argued that majority fails to meaningfully apply Iowa’s two-part test concerning community caretaking exception to rule against unreasonable searches
State v. Lafoga
Dissent argued multiple constitutional missteps by trial court, including deprivation of right to be presumed not guilty, effective assistance of counsel, and impartial judge
State v. Purcell
Held that when an individual’s “substantial rights” are affected by a postconviction order, the order is appealable per constitutional right to appeal criminal convictions
Boan v. Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal Judicial Nominating Commission
Ruled that constitutional residency requirement for state court judges attaches at the time of appointment, not at the time of nomination
Vitale v. Bellows Falls Union High School
Held that Education clause does not require the state to pay for children to attend the school of their parents' choice, and the state may select any appropriate, substantially equal, means for providing education
Johnson v. State
Ruled that defendants do not have a constitutional right to hybrid representation, but that there is also no constitutional prohibition against it
City of Houston v. Houston Proffesional Fire Fighters Association
Ruled that provision of public employee law did not violate constitutional separation of powers because it established "reasonable standards" for judicial enforcement
Winchester v. State
Held that Maine courts must apply a “flexible balancing test” weighing all relevant circumstances in assessing speedy trial violations
In re Petition for Emergency Remedy By Maryland State Board of Elections
Ruled that election law delegating task of protecting electoral integrity to courts did not violate constitution’s separation of powers clause as the task was a judicial function
In re Smart
Ruled that state constitution does not bestow a legally protected interest in obtaining a commutation hearing that would implicate procedural due process rights
