Court Cases

U.S. Supreme Court

Joan and Irwin Jacobs Supreme Court Docket

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i How do the terms work?

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U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2020
Department of Homeland Security v. Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam
Immigrants' Rights

Department of Homeland Security v. Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam

Whether immigrants are entitled to seek judicial review of their “expedited removal” orders in federal court.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2020
Aimee Stephens in front of the Supreme Court
LGBTQ Rights

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

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.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
May 2020
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
May 2020
Supreme Court
Civil Liberties

Trump v. Mazars/Trump v. Deutsche Bank AG

Whether President Trump should comply with congressional subpoenas and hand over his personal finance documents.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
May 2020
Supreme Court
Civil Liberties

Trump v. Vance

Whether President Trump should comply with a grandy jury subpoena and hand over his personal finance documents.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
Sep 2019
Don Zarda, Melissa Zarda, Bill Moore
LGBTQ Rights

Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda

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.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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All Cases

17 Supreme Court Cases during the 2019 Term

U.S. Supreme Court
Jul 2020
Baxter v. Bracey
Criminal Law Reform

Baxter v. Bracey

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.”
Status: Closed (Dismissed)
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Baxter v. Bracey
U.S. Supreme Court
Criminal Law Reform

Baxter v. Bracey

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.”
Jul 2020
Status: Closed (Dismissed)
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U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2020
Aimee Stephens
LGBTQ Rights

LGBTQ Discrimination Cases at the Supreme Court

In Bostock v. Clayton County, the Supreme Court ruled that anti-LGBTQ discrimination violates the federal law against discrimination in the workplace.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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Aimee Stephens
U.S. Supreme Court
LGBTQ Rights

LGBTQ Discrimination Cases at the Supreme Court

In Bostock v. Clayton County, the Supreme Court ruled that anti-LGBTQ discrimination violates the federal law against discrimination in the workplace.
Jun 2020
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
May 2020
Comcast v. National Association of African American Owned Media and Entertainment Studios Network
Racial Justice

Comcast v. National Association of African American Owned Media and Entertainment Studios Network

Whether a claim of race discrimination under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 fails in the absence of but-for causation.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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Comcast v. National Association of African American Owned Media and Entertainment Studios Network
U.S. Supreme Court
Racial Justice

Comcast v. National Association of African American Owned Media and Entertainment Studios Network

Whether a claim of race discrimination under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 fails in the absence of but-for causation.
May 2020
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
Feb 2020
Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel
Religious Liberty

Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel

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.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel
U.S. Supreme Court
Religious Liberty

Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel

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.
Feb 2020
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
Feb 2020
United States v. Sineneng-Smith
Free Speech

United States v. Sineneng-Smith

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.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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United States v. Sineneng-Smith
U.S. Supreme Court
Free Speech

United States v. Sineneng-Smith

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.
Feb 2020
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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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!