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 June 2025.
Featured Cases
League of Women Voters of Utah v. Utah State Legislature (LWV 1)
Utah Supreme Court dismissed legislators' appeal from trial court ruling that struck the state's congressional map. Lower court said law the map was enacted under violated a fundamental right of voters to alter or reform their government — recognized by the Utah high court earlier in the case — by repealing a redistricting-reform initiative, and subsequently adopted plaintiffs' proposed alternative map
Commonwealth v. Council for Better Education; LaFontaine v. Council for Better Education
Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that a law providing for charter schools funds education outside the “system of common schools,” in violation of clauses requiring the legislature to establish such a system and voters to approve such funding
McDougle v. Nardo
Virginia Supreme Court permitted legislature's proposed amendment to redraw the state’s congressional map to proceed to a vote, while it considers appeal of trial court decision finding the legislative process unconstitutional
Arizona School Boards Association, Inc. v. State
Held budget reconciliation bills violated constitution’s title requirement by not providing notice and senate bill violated single subject rule for containing discordant subjects
DuBose v. McGuffey
Dissent would have limited appellate court review of lower court bail determinations
In re Mohammad
Ruled regulation excluding inmates convicted of a felony from early parole was a reasonable interpretation of constitutional amendment providing for nonviolent offender parole reviews
Whitehead v. Fagan
Ruled qualified voters under the constitution’s initiative provision do not include voters with inactive registration and thus whose signatures may not count on initiative petitions
State v. McCarthy
Overruled per se exigency exception to constitution’s warrant requirements, held state must prove exigent circumstances actually existed at the time of the seizure or search of defendant’s vehicle
State v. Sargent
Ruled police questioning about conditions of defendant’s pretrial release exceeded the permissible scope of a traffic stop and was an unlawful seizure
Commonwealth v. Barr
Ruled that odor of marijuana alone does not amount to probable cause to conduct a warrantless search of a vehicle under the state constitution
State v. Smith
Ruled defendant’s failure to stop for a minor traffic violation did not create an exigency for a warrantless search after defendant invoked his right to privacy in his driveway
In re Interest of Y.W.-B.
Ruled state’s protection against unreasonable searches applies to searches conducted in civil child neglect proceedings and no exception exists without consent or exigent circumstances
Commonwealth v. Talley
Ruled trial court may constitutionally deny bail if state proffers evidence under a substantially more likely than not standard that an accused is nonbailable
