On April 17, 2025, the Supreme Court decided Cunningham v. Cornell University, No. 23-1007, holding that a plaintiff may state a prohibited-transaction claim in violation of ERISA § 406(a) without referencing the exemptions...more
On July 8, 2020, the United States Supreme Court decided Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, No. 19-267, holding that the First Amendment’s “ministerial exception,” under the religion clauses, bars courts from...more
7/9/2020
/ Age Discrimination ,
Appeals ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employment Discrimination ,
First Amendment ,
Freedom of Religion ,
Ministerial Exception ,
Our Lady of Guadalupe School v Morrissey-Berru ,
Religious Schools ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Teachers
On April 6, 2020, the Supreme Court filed a per curiam order in a case related to Wisconsin’s spring elections scheduled for the following day, April 7, 2020. In that order, the Court granted a stay requested by the...more
4/9/2020
/ Absentee Voting ,
Appeals ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Dissenting Opinions ,
Motion To Stay ,
Order to Stay ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Primary Elections ,
Relief Measures ,
Republican National Committee v Democratic National Committee ,
SCOTUS
On March 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided CITGO Asphalt Refining Co. v. Frescati Shipping Co., No. 18-565, construing a safe-berth clause in a widely used charter contract as a warranty of safety, and not simply a due...more
On February 26, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Intel Corporation Investment Policy Committee v. Sulyma, holding that, for purposes of ERISA’s three-year statute of limitations, a plan beneficiary does not have “actual...more
2/28/2020
/ Actual or Constructive Knowledge ,
Appeals ,
Breach of Duty ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Intel Corp. Investment Policy Committee v. Sulyma ,
Material Disclosures ,
Question of Fact ,
Reaffirmation ,
Retirement Plan ,
Retirement Plan Beneficiaries ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Split of Authority ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Summary Judgment
On February 25, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Monasky v. Taglieri, holding that the determination of a child’s “habitual residence” for purposes of the Hague Convention depends on a totality-of-the-circumstances...more
2/27/2020
/ Appeals ,
Child Abduction ,
Child Custody ,
Clear Error Standard ,
Custody Agreements ,
Domestic Violence ,
Expedited Actions Process ,
Habitual Residence ,
Hague Convention ,
Italy ,
Monasky v Taglieri ,
Petition for Return of Child ,
Question of Fact ,
Reaffirmation ,
SCOTUS ,
Split of Authority ,
Standard of Review ,
Totality of Circumstances Test ,
United States ,
Wrongful Removal
On February 25, 2020, the Supreme Court decided Hernandez et al. v. Mesa, No. 17-1678, declining to extend a judicially created damages remedy for a constitutional violation by a federal employee, a U.S. Border Patrol agent...more
2/27/2020
/ Appeals ,
Bivens Claims ,
Border Agents ,
Border Security ,
Cross-Border Shootings ,
Damages ,
Dismissals ,
Foreign Relations ,
Fourth Amendment ,
Hernandez v Mesa ,
Judicial Remedies ,
National Security ,
Reaffirmation ,
SCOTUS ,
Separation of Powers ,
Wrongful Death
On February 25, 2020, the Supreme Court decided Rodriguez v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, No. 18-1269, overruling a federal common law rule that was used in some circumstances to determine how to distribute the tax...more
2/27/2020
/ Affiliated-Business Arrangements ,
Appeals ,
Bob Richards Rule ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Consolidated Tax Returns ,
Federal Common Law ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
IRS ,
Jurisdiction ,
Lack of Authority ,
Parent Corporation ,
Remand ,
Rodriguez v Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. ,
SCOTUS ,
State Law Claims ,
Tax Allocation Agreements ,
Tax Refunds ,
Vacated
On November 25, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Thompson v. Hebdon holding that, in considering whether caps on individual campaign contributions violate the First Amendment, courts must compare the cap to others upheld...more
On May 28, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Smith v. Berryhill, holding a dismissal by the Social Security Administration’s Appeals Council on timeliness grounds after a claimant has had an administrative law judge...more
5/30/2019
/ Administrative Appeals ,
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Appeals ,
Congressional Intent ,
Disability Benefits ,
Dismissals ,
Eligibility Determination ,
Final Written Decisions ,
Judicial Review ,
Jurisdiction ,
Motion for Reconsideration ,
Reversal ,
Reviewability Determinations ,
Right To Appeal ,
SCOTUS ,
Smith v Berryhill ,
Social Security Administration (SSA) ,
Social Security Administration Appeals Council ,
Time-Barred Claims
On February 27, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Jam v. International Finance Corp., No. 17-1011, holding that the International Organizations Immunities Act of 1945 grants international organizations the...more
2/28/2019
/ Absolute Immunity ,
Appeals ,
Foreign Governments ,
Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA) ,
Foreign Sovereigns ,
Immunity ,
International Litigation ,
International Organizations ,
International Organizations Immunities Act of 1945 ,
Jam v International Finance Corporation ,
Qualified Immunity ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Statutory Interpretation
On February 25, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Yovino v. Rizo, holding that the federal courts may not count the vote of a judge who dies before the decision is issued, even if the judge had indicated a vote before he...more
On November 27, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Weyerhaeuser Company v. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, No. 17-71, holding that (1) an area is eligible for designation as a “critical habitat” under the...more
On June 22, 2018, the Supreme Court decided WesternGeco LLC v. ION Geophysical Corp., No. 16-1011, holding that the damages provision of the Patent Act, 35 U.S.C. § 284, allows a plaintiff to recover lost foreign profits...more
6/25/2018
/ 35 U.S.C. § 271(f)(2) ,
35 U.S.C. § 284 ,
Appeals ,
Damages ,
Domestic Injury ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
Foreign Sales ,
Lost Profits ,
Patent Act ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patents ,
Remand ,
SCOTUS ,
Vacated ,
WesternGeco LLC v Ion Geophysical Corporation
On June 4, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Lamar, Archer & Cofrin, LLP v. Appling, No. 16-1215, holding that a statement about a single asset can be a “statement respecting the debtor’s financial...more
6/5/2018
/ Adversary Proceedings ,
Appeals ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Business Assets ,
Chapter 7 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Congressional Intent ,
Debtors ,
Dischargeable Debts ,
False Statements ,
Judgment Creditors ,
Lamar Archer & Cofrin LLP v Appling ,
Oral Communications ,
Reaffirmation ,
SCOTUS ,
Tax Returns
On February 21, 2018, the United States Supreme Court decided Murphy v. Smith, No. 16-1067, holding that when a prisoner receives a judgment under certain civil rights statutes, the district court must apply as much of the...more
2/22/2018
/ 42 U.S.C. §1983 ,
Appeals ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Judicial Discretion ,
Money Judgment ,
Murphy v Smith ,
Prison Guards ,
Prisoners ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS
On June 19, 2107 the U.S. Supreme Court decided Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran, holding that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act allows some but not all of the property of a state sponsor of terrorism to be attached to...more
On May 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Wellness International Network, Ltd. v. Sharif, (No. 13-935), holding that Article III does not prevent bankruptcy judges from entering final judgment on claims that seek only...more
5/28/2015
/ Alter Ego ,
Appeals ,
Article III ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Judicial Authority ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Stern v Marshall ,
Trust Assets ,
Wellness International Network v Sharif
On May 4, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Bullard v. Blue Hills Bank, No. 14-116, holding that a bankruptcy court’s order denying confirmation of a Chapter 13 debtor’s proposed repayment plan is not a final order and...more