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
Planned Parenthood Great Northwest v. State
Held that the state constitution does not implicitly provide a fundamental right to an abortion because such a right is not “deeply rooted” in the state’s traditions and history
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. State
Held that abortion ban violated the constitution’s right to privacy in part because six weeks is not sufficient time for women to determine they are pregnant
State v. Staudenmayer
Ruled that admission into evidence of court clerk’s minute entries relaying defendant’s absence from an omnibus hearing did not violate confrontation clause
Mallard v. Warden, New Hampshire State Prison
Ruled that defense counsel’s deficient performance by appealing to racial bias during a jury trial violated defendant’s rights to effective assistance of counsel and a fair trial
Kligler v. Attorney General
Ruled that there is no fundamental right to physician-assisted suicide
Brandt v. Pompa
Ruled that the compensatory damages caps for noneconomic loss is unconstitutional as applied to child victims of intentional criminal conduct
McClain v. State
Ruled no state constitutional right to a jury trial in civil suit for wrongful imprisonment because claim did not exist in common law
Mack v. Williams
Held that there is a private right of action for monetary relief under state search and seizure clause, and state has no qualified immunity defense in the absence of legislation
Stivers v. Beshear
Ruled legislature has legislative immunity from declaratory action brought by executive branch challenging constitutionality of certain laws related to pandemic
State v. Higgin
Held that vote-by-mail and same-day registration statutes violate the constitution's voting provisions
