Court Cases

U.S. Supreme Court

Joan and Irwin Jacobs Supreme Court Docket

i How do the terms work?
i How do the terms work?

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U.S. Supreme Court
Department of Homeland Security v. Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam
Immigrants' Rights

Department of Homeland Security v. Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam

Status: Closed (Judgment)
Whether immigrants are entitled to seek judicial review of their “expedited removal” orders in federal court.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Aimee Stephens in front of the Supreme Court
LGBTQ Rights

R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v EEOC & Aimee Stephens

Status: Closed (Judgment)
Aimee Stephens had worked for nearly six years as a funeral director at R.G. and G.R. Harris Funeral Homes when she informed the funeral home’s owner that she is a transgender woman. She was fired, the EEOC sued on her behalf, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Aimee’s employer engaged in unlawful sex discrimination when it fired her because she’s transgender. We represented Aimee Stephens in front of the U.S. Supreme Court — and won.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania and New Jersey/Trump v. Pennsylvania and New Jersey
Religious Liberty

Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania and New Jersey/Trump v. Pennsylvania and New Jersey

Whether the government had statutory authority under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to expand the conscience exemption to the contraceptive-coverage mandate.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court
Executive Branch

Trump v. Mazars/Trump v. Deutsche Bank AG

Status: Closed (Judgment)
Whether President Trump should comply with congressional subpoenas and hand over his personal finance documents.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court
Executive Branch

Trump v. Vance

Status: Closed (Judgment)
Whether President Trump should comply with a grandy jury subpoena and hand over his personal finance documents.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Don Zarda, Melissa Zarda, Bill Moore
LGBTQ Rights

Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda

Status: Closed (Judgment)
Don Zarda loved to skydive. He worked as a skydiving instructor at Altitude Express, a company on Long Island, N.Y. He was fired for being gay.
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All Cases

U.S. Supreme Court
July 2, 2020
Baxter v. BraceyBaxter v. Bracey
U.S. Supreme Court
July 2, 2020
Baxter v. Bracey
Criminal Law Reform
Status: Closed (Dismissed)
In early 2014, Alexander Baxter was bitten by a police dog that was unleashed on him while he was sitting with his hands in the air, having surrendered to police. He sued for excessive force, but in late 2018, a federal appeals court ruled that his claim should be thrown out under the doctrine of “qualified immunity.”
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U.S. Supreme Court
June 15, 2020
Aimee Stephens
U.S. Supreme Court
June 15, 2020
LGBTQ Discrimination Cases at the Supreme Court
LGBTQ Rights
Status: Closed (Judgment)
In Bostock v. Clayton County, the Supreme Court ruled that anti-LGBTQ discrimination violates the federal law against discrimination in the workplace.
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U.S. Supreme Court
May 19, 2020
Comcast v. National Association of African American Owned Media and Entertainment Studios NetworkComcast v. National Association of African American Owned Media and Entertainment Studios Network
U.S. Supreme Court
May 19, 2020
Comcast v. National Association of African American Owned Media and Entertainment Studios Network
Racial Justice
Status: Closed (Judgment)
Whether a claim of race discrimination under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 fails in the absence of but-for causation.
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U.S. Supreme Court
February 11, 2020
Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James School v. BielOur Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel
U.S. Supreme Court
February 11, 2020
Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel
Religious Liberty
Status: Closed (Judgment)
Whether certain teachers at religious schools are covered by the “ministerial exception,” which gives religious institutions the constitutional authority to discriminate in the selection of faith leaders.
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U.S. Supreme Court
February 6, 2020
United States v. Sineneng-SmithUnited States v. Sineneng-Smith
U.S. Supreme Court
February 6, 2020
United States v. Sineneng-Smith
Free Speech
Status: Closed (Judgment)
Whether the First Amendment prohibits the government from making it a crime to “encourage or induce” a non-citizen to enter or reside in the United States unlawfully.
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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!