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 2025.
Featured Cases
McDougle v. Scott
Virginia Supreme Court, in a split decision, nullified a constitutional amendment approved by voters that would have redrawn the state's congressional districts, 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
Bradbury v. City of Lewiston
Ruled that city's interdepartmental fund transfers and payments to private entities did not violate constitution's restrictions on municipal indebtedness and donations
People v. Johnson
Dissents would have ruled that statute authorizing courts to impose costs to fund general court operating expenses violated separation of powers principles
Dotson v. State
Ruled that administrative review by court office and Chief Justice of post-conviction court's authorization of expert funds for indigent defendants does not violate separation of powers, judicial authority, or due process
People v. Edwards
Dissents would have ruled that statute authorizing courts to impose costs to fund general court operating expenses violated separation of powers principles
Valdez v. West Des Moines Community Schools
Ruled that plaintiff's proposed heightened standard for assessing peremptory strikes of "last minority" jurors was not required by constitution's due process, equal protection, or jury-trial rights
Falls v. Goins
Ruled that requiring persons with out of state felony convictions to comply with two separate statutes to regain suffrage rights was within the legislature’s constitutional authority to disenfranchise persons with felony convictions
Facebook, Inc. v. State
Ruled that the contemporaneous acquisition of electronic communications is the equivalent of wiretap surveillance and is therefore entitled to greater constitutional protection
Harris v. State
Ruled that right to a jury trial applies to "habitual offender" trials, but that there is no right to present evidence to a jury that does not prove or disprove prior convictions
Ex parte Sheffield
Ruled that defendant’s speedy trial claims were not cognizable in pretrial habeas corpus litigation, which would effectively undermine rather than vindicate the constitutional right before trial
Aurora Public Schools. v. A.S.
Ruled that statute creating a new cause of action for victims of child sexual abuse pre-dating the statute and for which claims were time-barred was unconstitutional as applied under constitution’s prohibition on retrospective legislation
