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 February 2025.
Featured Cases
LeMieux v. Evers
The Wisconsin Supreme Court held, in a divided decision, that the governor did not exceed his partial veto authority under the state constitution when he altered digits, words, and punctuation in a budget bill to extend a school funding increase from 2 to 402 years.
Griffin v. State Board of Elections
A candidate for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court, who lost by over 700 votes, claims that the state board of elections followed an incorrect process for registering voters and seeks in invalidate more than 60,000 votes.
People v. Taylor; People v. Czarnecki
Michigan Supreme Court held that mandatory life-without-parole sentences violate the state constitution’s protection against “cruel or unusual” punishment for anyone under age 21 at the time of the offense. The decision extends the court’s 2022 ruling in People v. Parks that such sentences are unconstitutional for those 18 or under.
Watson v. State
Ruled statue requiring minors accused of non-felony traffic offenses to be charged as an adult rather than in juvenile court does not violate constitution’s equal protection clause
State v. Albano
Ruled that state right to trial by jury may diverge from federal right and is not violated by statute authorizing court, not jury, to make criminal history findings for sentencing purposes
State v. Treptow
Ruled that statutes requiring defendant who pleads guilty to establish good cause to pursue direct appeal and to present ineffective assistance claim in postconviction-relief proceeding, do not violate equal protection or due process
State v. Mikell
Held that when prosecution dismisses and later refiles charges, the period between dismissal and refiling need not be considered for purposes of defendant's right to a speedy trial
People v. Bochenek
Ruled that statute setting venue for identity theft cases in the place where the victim resides does not violate right to jury trial where the crime is alleged to have been committed
State v. Dortch
Dissent wrote that applying preservation requirement to defendant whose guilty plea was accepted without a competency hearing after trial court questioned his competency would deny his right to a meaningful appeal
Butler v. Watson
Ruled that clause requiring distribution of ballot initiative signatures across the state's five congressional districts was rendered inoperable by reduction in number of state's congressional districts
Barnett v. Jones
Ruled that local law dictating how proceeds distributed to a county should be allocated is constitutional because no existing general law provides for the same matter
Bayou Bridge Pipeline, LLC v. 38.00 Acres
Ruled that takings clause requiring compensation to the full extent of landowner's loss provides authority for award of attorney fees and litigation costs
Lowther v. Town of Bastrop
Ruled that municipality is constitutionally mandated to satisfy court order to pay back wages to firefighters by clause excepting fire minimum wages from overall constitutional limitation on unfunded mandates
