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 April 2024.
Featured Cases
Texas v. Loe
The Texas Supreme Court refused to block a ban on certain medical treatments for transgender minors, saying the state legislature had a rational basis for passing the law and that it does not improperly infringe on the rights of parents to make medical decisions for the children or on physicians’ abilities to treat patients. The court also said the law does not constitute sex discrimination and declined to treat transgender people as a protected class.
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Inc, et al. v. Kim Reynolds, et al.
The Iowa Supreme Court held that abortion is not a fundamental right under the state constitution and is only subject to rational basis review. The court reversed a lower court injunction halting the state's "fetal heartbeat" law.
Drummond v. Statewide Virtual Charter Schoolboard
Ruled that the state education board’s approval of a Catholic school's application to be a public charter school violated the Oklahoma Constitution, the federal Establishment Clause, and the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act
Citizens for Fair Rates & the Environment v. New Mexico Public Regulation Commission
Rejected claims that law allowing public utilities to recover the costs of transitioning to renewable energy violates due process, prohibitions on impairing contract rights, and other constitutional provisions
State v. Comer
Held that juvenile defendants subject to mandatory lengthy sentences for homicide convictions are entitled to petition for a review of their sentence after serving 20 years in prison
Arizona School Boards Association, Inc. v. State
Held budget reconciliation bills violated constitution’s title requirement by not providing notice and senate bill violated single subject rule for containing discordant subjects
DuBose v. McGuffey
Dissent would have limited appellate court review of lower court bail determinations
In re Mohammad
Ruled regulation excluding inmates convicted of a felony from early parole was a reasonable interpretation of constitutional amendment providing for nonviolent offender parole reviews
Whitehead v. Fagan
Ruled qualified voters under the constitution’s initiative provision do not include voters with inactive registration and thus whose signatures may not count on initiative petitions
State v. McCarthy
Overruled per se exigency exception to constitution’s warrant requirements, held state must prove exigent circumstances actually existed at the time of the seizure or search of defendant’s vehicle
Commonwealth v. Barr
Ruled that odor of marijuana alone does not amount to probable cause to conduct a warrantless search of a vehicle under the state constitution
State v. Sargent
Ruled police questioning about conditions of defendant’s pretrial release exceeded the permissible scope of a traffic stop and was an unlawful seizure
State v. Smith
Ruled defendant’s failure to stop for a minor traffic violation did not create an exigency for a warrantless search after defendant invoked his right to privacy in his driveway