Supreme Court Update 061812

The Supreme Court decided four cases this morning.

• Match-E-Be v. Patchak – The Court held that the Quiet Title Act does not preclude lawsuits against the United States government. The Court also held that an owner of land located near a parcel acquired by the Secretary of the Interior for the use of a Native American tribe has a right to challenge the land acquisition.
• Salazar v. Rama Navajo Chapter – The Court held that the federal government must reimburse Native American tribes in full – despite Congressional limits on reimbursement – for costs the tribes incur when administering certain federal programs.
• Williams v. Illinois – The Court held that the Confrontation Clause allows an expert witness to testify about the results of DNA testing conducted by another analyst who has not appeared as a witness at the trial.
• Christopher v. SmithKline Beecham Corp. – The Court held that pharmaceutical sales representatives qualify under the outside salesmen exemption of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

More decisions are expected to be announced on Thursday.

Supreme Court Decisions Remaining This Term

With today’s decision, there are 9 cases yet to be decided this term. The court has yet to determine the constitutionality of:

• The Affordable Care Act;
• The federal law criminalizing lies about military service and honors;
• The Federal Communications Commission’s indecency standards;
• Arizona’s efforts at cooperative law enforcement;
• The First Amendment rights of union employees.