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.
Ritter v. State
Ruled statutes requiring governor to declare a state of emergency before school districts may make decisions regarding local health matters were an unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority
Arizona Free Enterprise Club v. Hobbs
Ruled that revenue measures may not be put to referendum, provided they relate to the support and maintenance of existing departments of the state government
State v. Verrill
Held that neither double jeopardy clause nor due process clause barred retrial of defendant whose mistrial was due to the state's discovery violations
In re 2022 Legislative Districting of the State
Held that state legislative districts did not violate requirement that districts be compact, continguous, and regard natural boundaries
McDonald v. Jacobsen
Ruled that a legislative referendum requiring that supreme court justices be elected by district, rather than statewide, violates the state constitution
State v. Anderson
Ruled defendant’s de facto life sentence of 61 years without parole for juvenile offender crimes does not violate Washington Constitution’s prohibition against cruel punishment
State v. Obrero
Ruled 1982 constitutional amendment did not repeal by implication statute requiring grand jury for felony prosecutions, thus prosecution based on complaint and probable cause hearing was unlawful
Promote The Vote 2022 v. Board of State Canvassers
Ruled ballot petition’s proposed amendments did not abrogate existing provisions to trigger constitutional requirement to republish those provisions
Reproductive Freedom for All v. Board of State Canvassers
Dissent wrote that word spacing in ballot petition’s proposed amendment to the constitution did not meet constitutional mandate of placing full text of amendment on the petition
Planned Parenthood of Montana v. State (Planned Parenthood 1)
Ruled that providers made a prima facie case that the State’s ban on abortions within twenty weeks is incompatible with the state constitution
