United States Supreme Court - March 2005 Opinion Summaries

Smith v. City of Jackson, Mississippi

Civil Rights, Injury & Tort Law, Labor & Employment Law
Although the "disparate-impact" theory of recovery, for cases brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, is cognizable under the Age...

Rhines v. Weber

Criminal Law & Procedure, Habeas Corpus
A district court has discretion to stay a mixed petition for habeas relief to allow a petitioner to present his unexhausted claims to the state court...

Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Saudi Basic Indus.

Civil Procedure
The Rooker-Feldman doctrine is confined to cases brought by state-court losers complaining of injuries caused by state-court judgments rendered before...

Jackson v. Birmingham Bd. of Educ.

Civil Rights, Injury & Tort Law, Labor & Employment Law
Title IX's private right of action encompasses claims of retaliation against an individual because he has complained about sex discrimination.

City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation of N.Y.

Indian Law, Property Law & Real Estate
Defendant-Indian Tribe's reacquisition of historic reservation land does not prohibit the imposition of property taxes since defendant cannot...

Muehler v. Mena

Civil Rights, Criminal Law & Procedure, Injury & Tort Law
In a section 1983 suit, police officers' detention of defendant in handcuffs during the execution of a search warrant was reasonable and did not...

City of Rancho Palos Verdes v. Abrams

Civil Rights, Communications Law, Government Law, Injury & Tort Law, Property Law & Real Estate
An individual may not enforce the limitations on local zoning authority, set forth in section 332(c)(7) of the Communications Act, through an action...

Brown v. Payton

Criminal Law & Procedure, Habeas Corpus
The grant of habeas relief to defendant is reversed where the Ninth Circuit's decision was contrary to the limits on federal habeas review imposed by...

SHEPARD v. US

Criminal Law & Procedure, Sentencing
A court sentencing under the Armed Career Criminal Act may not look to police reports or complaint applications to determine whether an earlier guilty...

BALLARD v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE

Tax Law
The tax court may not exclude from the record on appeal Tax Court Rule 183(b) reports submitted by special trial judges.