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 May 2025.
Featured Cases
Access Independent Health Services v. Wrigley
North Dakota Supreme Court upheld state's abortion ban despite three of five justices concluding a health-risk exception was unconstitutionally vague, because the state constitution requires four justices to declare legislation unconstitutional
Clarke v. Town of Newburgh
New York Court of Appeals held local government could not assert state or federal equal protection challenge to the vote dilution provision of the state's Voting Rights Act
League of Women Voters of Utah v. Utah State Legislature (LWV 1)
Utah Supreme Court sent partisan gerrymandering case back to lower court to consider whether the legislature violated voters' fundamental right to "reform or alter" their government when it overturned redistricting reforms passed by initiative. Lower court found legislators violated that right and struck the current congressional map, adopting an alternative proposed by the plaintiffs
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
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
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
BABE VOTE v. McGrane
Held that laws prohibiting the use of student IDs for voting purposes did not violate the state constitution
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
Neptune Swimming Foundation v. City of Scottsdale
Ruled that the City of Scottsdale did not violate the state's gift clause when it awarded an operating license to plaintiff swim club's competitor at below-market rates