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 March 2025.
Featured Cases
State of Washington v. Gator's Custom Guns
Washington Supreme Court reversed a lower court and upheld the state's ban on selling or manufacturing magazines that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition. The majority held that large-capacity magazines are “not” arms within the scope of the state or federal constitutional right to bear arms, and the ability to purchase them is not "necessary to the realization of the core right to possess a firearm in self-defense."
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 to invalidate more than 60,000 votes.
State v. Sutterfield
Ruled that arrest by police officer for completed misdemeanor that occurred outside the officer's presence did not violate search and seizure clause where officer was assisting a private individual conducting a citizen arrest
State v. Heath
Ruled that religious liberty clause in section of constitution containing housekeeping provisions for the transition from territory to statehood was not intended to broaden the guarantee in the declaration of rights
Hamen v. Hamlin County
Ruled that damage caused by law enforcement during an arrest is not a taking under the state constitution
Metcalfe v. State
Ruled repeal of statutory right of reinstatement unconstitutionally impaired or diminished an accrued benefit of the state employee retirement system
Dulin v. State
Dissent would have held that when the total court costs imposed on a defendant do not plainly exceed the cost to the state of litigating the case, there is no violation of separation of powers
State v. Lopez-Carrera
Dissent wrote that State's sovereign power and victims' rights require that statute limiting pretrial detention permit detention of a defendant noncitizen when removal is certain and imminent
Z.W.E. v. L.B. (Ex parte Z.W.E.)
Concurrence would have ruled that parentage statute’s definition of “child” should be interpreted to include unborn children as constitution specifically protects their rights
In re Humphrey
Ruled equal protection and substantive due process require court to consider financial ability to post bail and whether less restrictive alternatives to detention could satisfy government’s interests
Reagan v. Idaho Transportation Department
Ruled that statute authorizing warrantless arrest for driving under the influence, even if the officer did not witness the offense, violates protection against unreasonable searches and seizures
Ortiz v. State
Concurrence wrote that prosecution's summation argument that the defendant tailored his testimony after listening to the evidence at trial violates the defendant's right to be present at trial
