Court Cases

U.S. Supreme Court

Joan and Irwin Jacobs Supreme Court Docket

All Cases

19 Supreme Court Cases during the 2005 Term

Hamdan v. Rumsfeld
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2006

National Security

Human Rights

Hamdan v. Rumsfeld

Challenge to the validity of the military commissions established by President Bush to try detainees as part of the war against terrorism. DECIDED
Status: Closed (Judgment)
Explore case
Hamdan v. Rumsfeld
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2006
Hamdan v. Rumsfeld

National Security

Human Rights

Hamdan v. Rumsfeld

Challenge to the validity of the military commissions established by President Bush to try detainees as part of the war against terrorism. DECIDED
Status: Closed (Judgment)
Hamdan v. Rumsfeld
Lawrence v. Florida
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2006

Smart Justice

Capital Punishment

Lawrence v. Florida

Reviewing whether, and under what circumstances, the one year deadline for filing a federal habeas petition can be subject to "equitable tolling." DECIDED
Status: Closed (Judgment)
Explore case
Lawrence v. Florida
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2006
Lawrence v. Florida

Smart Justice

Capital Punishment

Lawrence v. Florida

Reviewing whether, and under what circumstances, the one year deadline for filing a federal habeas petition can be subject to "equitable tolling." DECIDED
Status: Closed (Judgment)
Lawrence v. Florida
Randall v. Sorrell
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2006

Free Speech

Randall v. Sorrell

Challenge to Vermont's campaign finance law and to the constitutionality of expenditure limits under the First Amendment. DECIDED
Status: Closed (Judgment)
Explore case
Randall v. Sorrell
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2006
Randall v. Sorrell

Free Speech

Randall v. Sorrell

Challenge to Vermont's campaign finance law and to the constitutionality of expenditure limits under the First Amendment. DECIDED
Status: Closed (Judgment)
Randall v. Sorrell
Lopez v. Gonzales and Toledo-Flores v. United States
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2006

Immigrants' Rights

Lopez v. Gonzales and Toledo-Flores v. United States

Whether a state conviction for drug possession that would be a misdemeanor under federal law can nonetheless be treated as an "aggravated felony" for immigration purposes, which leads to serious adverse consequences, including ineligibilitiy for political asylum and cancellation of removal.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
Explore case
Lopez v. Gonzales and Toledo-Flores v. United States
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2006
Lopez v. Gonzales and Toledo-Flores v. United States

Immigrants' Rights

Lopez v. Gonzales and Toledo-Flores v. United States

Whether a state conviction for drug possession that would be a misdemeanor under federal law can nonetheless be treated as an "aggravated felony" for immigration purposes, which leads to serious adverse consequences, including ineligibilitiy for political asylum and cancellation of removal.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
Lopez v. Gonzales and Toledo-Flores v. United States
Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. White
U.S. Supreme Court
Mar 2006

Women's Rights

Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. White

Reviewing the standard for retaliation in employment discrimination cases under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. DECIDED
Status: Closed (Judgment)
Explore case
Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. White
U.S. Supreme Court
Mar 2006
Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. White

Women's Rights

Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. White

Reviewing the standard for retaliation in employment discrimination cases under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. DECIDED
Status: Closed (Judgment)
Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. White
1
23...

How Do Terms Work?

Between October and late June or early July the Supreme Court is “in session,” meaning it hears oral arguments, issues written decisions, and decides whether to take additional cases.

Submitting petitions

Our legal team at the ACLU files a cert petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, a type of petition that usually argues that a lower court has incorrectly decided an important question of law that violates civil rights and should be fixed to prevent similar confusion in similar cases.

term starts

U.S. Supreme Court decides to take a case

On average, the Court considers about 7,000 ‐ 8,000 petitions each term and accepts about 80 for oral argument.

Oral arguments

This is the period where the U.S. Supreme Court listens to our case in court.

U.S. Supreme Court makes final decisions

While the U.S. Supreme Court makes decisions throughout the term, many are released right before the term ends. If a decision doesn't go in our favor, we fight back!