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
Malvo v. State
Dissent would have ruled a juvenile sentence of life without parole is constitutional and state prohibition against of cruel or unusual punishment provides no greater protection than the Eighth Amendment
Anderson v. State
Ruled courts may exercise constitutional jurisdiction over habeas petitions notwithstanding statute’s requirement to exhaust administrative remedies of New Mexico Corrections Dept.
Under the Rainbow Early Education Center v. County of Goodhue
Ruled early childhood education center is a tax-exempt seminary of learning under the constitution
Spiegel v. Board of Education of Howard County
Held rules for qualification and selection of student member to county board of education do not violate Maryland Constitution’s election requirements and Declaration of Rights
Prickett v. State
Ruled defendant's constitutional right to be present at trial was not violated when counsel conferred with court during bench conferences out of defendant’s presence
State v. Pizzuto
Ruled statute allowing governor to reject Idaho Commission of Pardon and Parole clemency recommendations is constitutional expression of legislature’s authority over Commission
McLinko v. Commonwealth
Ruled that the assembly did not violate the state constitution when it enacted legislation allowing for universal mail-in voting
Brown v. State
Dissent would have denied indigent defendant's petition as meritless without limiting future filings in forma pauperis, as violating constitutional right to access to courts
Willis v. Bernini
Ruled state’s failure to present clearly exculpatory evidence to the grand jury relevant to 3rd-party defense justification violated defendant’s constitutional due process rights
People v. Boykin
Held that trial courts must consider a juvenile defendant's youth to be a mitigating factor when sentencing them to term-of-years sentence
