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 September 2025.
Featured Cases
McDougle v. Scott
Virginia Supreme Court, in a split decision, nullified a constitutional amendment approved by voters that would have allowed the state's congressional districts to be redrawn, finding the legislative process used for the amendment violated the state constitution
Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina
The North Carolina Supreme Court overturned its own precedent and put an end to more than 30 years of litigation involving the funding of public education in the state
Commonwealth v. Lee
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that mandating a life sentence, without the possibility of parole, for “felony murder” — a legal doctrine that allows someone to be prosecuted for murder for any death that occurs during the commission of a separate felony, even if the defendant never meant to kill anyone — violates the Pennsylvania Constitution’s ban on “cruel” punishments
In re Interest of K.N., K.L., K.L., and K.L
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services seeks termination of parental rights following credible reports of child abuse and neglect of four children. The Texas Supreme Court has asked for supplemental briefing about the impact on the case of the 2024 parental rights state constitutional amendment
Ellingson v. State
Montana Supreme Court will consider if a law changing requirements for citizen-proposed ballot measures infringes on the powers of initiative and referendum and the applicable standard for such challenges
State v. Roberts
Oregon Supreme Court held that state's failure to appoint counsel for an indigent criminal defendant for an extended time period violates the right to counsel and imposed a general rule for how long before dismissal without prejudice is required
Committee for Public Counsel Services v. Middlesex and Suffolk County District Courts
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that, given legislative and other measures to address a shortage of indigent defense counsel, there were not extraordinary circumstances that would justify the judiciary ordering a rate increase for attorneys accepting such representations
Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina
The North Carolina Supreme Court overturned its own precedent and put an end to more than 30 years of litigation involving the funding of public education in the state
State Public Defender v. Iowa District Court for Scott County
Iowa Supreme Court ruled that trial court acted beyond its authority when it did not accept public defender's representation that it had a temporary overload of cases
PFLAG v. Office of the Attorney General
Texas Supreme Court held LGBTQ+ organization must respond to information requests issued by the state as part of its investigation of whether doctors are evading Texas's ban on gender-affirming care for minors
Missouri State Conference of the NAACP v. State
Missouri Supreme Court held that voters and advocacy organizations lacked standing to challenge the constitutionality of Missouri’s strict photo ID requirements
League of Women Voters of Missouri v. State
The Missouri Supreme Court permanently enjoined legislation criminalizing third-party voter registration and voter-engagement activities, affirming a lower court decision that the restrictions violated core political speech
