Environmental Defense v. Duke Energy Corp. , 549 U.S. 561 (decided April 2, 2007): “modification” can mean different things in different (complicated) environmental statutes; the upshot was that this coal-fired plant should have gotten a permit before upgrading Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders of City of Burlington , 566 U.S. 318 (decided April 2, 2012): strip search upon incarceration is not unreasonable under Fourth Amendment   Encino Motorcars v. Navarro , 584 U.S.

FCC v. Prometheus Radio Project, 592 U.S. 414 (decided April 1, 2021): In 2017 the Trump-led FCC reversed long-standing policy, affirmed in 2016, and permitted, in the same market, cross-ownership of radio, television and newspapers, and cross-ownership of several stations.  Plaintiffs alleged this would hinder female and minority ownership and local viewpoints.  Reversing the Circuit Court (which had ordered the FCC to develop a better record), the Court holds that in the in

United States v. Lanier , 520 U.S. 259 (decided March 31, 1997): state judge should have known sexual assaults would inculpate him under 12 U.S.C. §242 (the criminal counterpart to 42 U.S.C. §1983) even though statute does not mention sexual crimes and Court has not directly ruled on similar facts International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. United States , 431 U.S. 324 (decided March 31, 1977): victims of union’s discrimination against black and hispanic workers (demonstrated b

Ex parte Wilson , 114 U.S. 417 (decided March 30, 1885): crime punishable by years of hard labor is a Fifth Amendment “infamous crime” requiring grand jury indictment (15 years for counterfeiting) Pecheur Lozenge Co. v. National Candy Co. , 315 U.S. 666 (decided March 30, 1942): suit over wrapper design was common law trademark infringement (I didn’t know there was such a thing), not registered with Patent Office as alleged, so local law applied in diversity action (candy cig