June 24, 2014

Supreme Court Update

The Supreme Court has seven cases still to decide before the end of its term. It is expected to issue the remaining decisions on Wednesday and Thursday of this week and possibly next Monday. Yesterday, the court released its opinion in one case of note:

Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA – The court held that the EPA may apply “best available control technology” requirements for greenhouse gases from fixed sources, like power plants and factories, that are already subject to agency permit requirements. The agency cannot require fixed sources to obtain certain permits solely because of the source’s potential to emit greenhouse gases. The court found that the agency overreached when it wrote its “tailoring rule,” which revised limits on emissions set by Congress in the Clean Air Act. The opinion could affect the EPA’s proposed rules on new and existing power plants.

Case Name	Question for the Court
NLRB v. Noel Canning	The court will decide whether the president’s appointment of NLRB board members during a pro forma session of the Senate in January 2012 breached the constitution’s appointments clause.
Burwell v. Hobby Lobby; Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Burwell	Two cases dealing with HHS contraception mandates, the court will answer whether corporations may deny coverage for employees.
Riley v. California; U.S. v. Wurie	Two cases in which the court will rule on warrantless searches of cell phones.
American Broadcasting v. Aereo	In a copyright case, the court will address a controversy over retransmitting television shows.
Harris v. Quinn	A constitutional challenge to labor union’s agency fees for employees in the public sector.
McCullen v. Coakley	The court will decide whether speech buffer zones around abortion clinics violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

Next Article Previous Article

Supreme Court Update

Case Name

Question for the Court

NLRB v. Noel Canning

The court will decide whether the president’s appointment of NLRB board members during a pro forma session of the Senate in January 2012 breached the constitution’s appointments clause.

Burwell v. Hobby Lobby;

Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Burwell

Two cases dealing with HHS contraception mandates, the court will answer whether corporations may deny coverage for employees.

Riley v. California;

U.S. v. Wurie

Two cases in which the court will rule on warrantless searches of cell phones.

American Broadcasting v. Aereo

In a copyright case, the court will address a controversy over retransmitting television shows.

Harris v. Quinn

A constitutional challenge to labor union’s agency fees for employees in the public sector.

McCullen v. Coakley

The court will decide whether speech buffer zones around abortion clinics violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments.