Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co., Inc, 129 S. Ct. 2252 (2009) Facts—A West Virginia jury found Massey Coal liable for $50 million in compensatory and punitive damages. West Virginia held an election for the State Supreme Court of Appeals,…

Scheidler v. National Organization for Women, 537 U.S. 393; 123 S. Ct. 1057; 154 L. Ed. 2d 991 (2003) Facts—Scheidler and other members of the Pro-Life Action Network (PLAN) were sued in 1986 for violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt…

DeShaney v. Winnebago Social Services, 489 U.S. 189; 1095 S. Ct. 998; 103 L. Ed. 2d 249 (1989) Facts—Four-year-old Joshua DeShaney was the victim of continuing physical abuse by his father that eventually left him with permanent injuries leaving him…

Bordenkircher v. Hayes, 434 U.S. 357; 98 S. Ct. 663; 54 L. Ed. 2d 604 (1978) Facts—Kentucky charged Hayes with uttering a forged instrument of just over $88. The district attorney offered him five years if he pled guilty but…

O’Connor v. Donaldson, 422 U.S. 563; 95 S. Ct. 2486; 45 L. Ed. 2d 396 (1975) Facts—For almost fifteen years, the Florida State Hospital at Chattahoochee confined Kenneth Donaldson as a mental patient “for care, maintenance and treatment.” He had…

Bolling v. Sharpe, 347 U.S. 497; 74 S. Ct. 693; 98 L. Ed. 884 (1954) Facts—This companion case to Brown v. Board of Education arose out of the District of Columbia, where, because it is controlled by the national government,…

Tumey v. Ohio, 273 U.S. 510; 47 S. Ct. 437; 71 L. Ed. 749 (1927) Facts—Tumey was arrested and brought before Mayor Pugh of North College Hill, Ohio, on the charge of unlawfully possessing intoxicating liquor. The mayor, under statutes…

Sattazahn v. Pennsylvania, 123 S. Ct. 732; 2003 U.S. LEXIS 748; 71 U.S.L.W. 4023 (2003) Facts—Pennsylvania law requires that a jury must consider aggravating and mitigating factors in the verdict phase of a capital crime. If the jury does not…

Coy v. Iowa, 487 U.S. 1012; 108 S. Ct. 2798; 101 L. Ed. 2d 857 (1988) Facts—Iowa law provided for a screen to be employed when juveniles testified against their accusers in sexual cases. In the case at hand, two…

United States v. Lanza, 260 U.S. 377; 43 S. Ct. 141; 7 L. Ed. 314 (1922) Facts—The state of Washington passed a prohibition law before the passage of the National Prohibition Act. Lanza was charged in the federal court of…