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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Lord v. Salt Lake County Clerk
Rejected request for declaratory relief that school district property tax increase was subject to constitution’s voter referendum rights provision
Anderson v. Board of State Canvassers
Concurrence wrote that constitutional amendments proposed by initiative rather than by the legislature may be constitutionally limited to a single purpose
