Feature Story Archive

Mon 29 Apr, 2013
A hint on Hollingsworth from a criminal case?

[For those reading on the website, if you see only one paragraph, for the full post, click on the heading above.]

Tue 16 Apr, 2013
Salinas v. Texas: When does the Self-incrimination Clause apply?

Prof. Sanford Greenberg discusses the Supreme Court's upcoming review of whether the Constitution's protection against self-incrimination applies before an individual has been arrested or read his rights.

Fri 12 Apr, 2013
Assn. for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad: Can human genes be patented?

Prof. Lori Andrews discusses whether an upcoming intellectual property case dealing with whether human genes can be patented.

Wed 20 Mar, 2013
New Resource for Information about the Same Sex Marriage Cases

Want to learn more about the politics, history, and legal issues involved in the same sex marriage cases? ISCOTUS and The Oyez Project have created a "deep dive" website, containing a wealth of information about these cases, which will be argued on March 26 and 27, 2013. We encourage you to visit the site, explore, and share the link widely.

Sat 23 Feb, 2013
Maryland v. King - DNA and the Fourth Amendment

Prof. Richard Kling describes Maryland v. King, where the Court will consider when the Fourth Amendment permits DNA searches of accused felons.

Mon 29 Oct, 2012
Florida v. Harris - Dog Sniff Searches and Probable Cause

The Court is expected to hear two cases this week dealing with the use of police dogs trained to detect drugs. Prof. Sanford Greenberg discusses the first of these cases, Florida v. Harris.

Thu 1 Nov, 2012
Florida v. Jardines - Dog Sniff Searches at Homes

Prof. Douglas Godfrey discusses Florida v. Jardines, a Fourth Amendment case and the second of two cases heard by the Court this week concerning drug-detecting police dogs.

Thu 11 Oct, 2012
Fisher v. University of Texas - The Arguments

The Court will release the audio recording of the arguments in yesterday's widely followed affirmative action case on Friday. Below, Profs. Carolyn Shapiro and Sheldon Nahmod discuss the arguments made by each side in this case.

Wed 10 Oct, 2012
Fisher v. University of Texas - Case Background

Profs. Carolyn Shapiro and Sheldon Nahmod discuss this widely anticipated affirmative action case. You can also review documents and listen to the lower court oral arguments in this case here. Additionally, Prof. Nahmod has also previously blogged about affirmative action.

Mon 1 Oct, 2012
2011 Major Opinion Announcements Posted

The Court today released recordings of its opinion announcements for the 2011 term. Oyez is in the process of posting these. Last term's major cases are now available, including:

-- The Affordable Care Act Cases

-- United States v. Alvarez

-- Arizona v. United States

-- Miller v. Alabama

Mon 1 Oct, 2012
Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum

The Court's very first argument of the 2012 term deals with one of America's oldest laws. Prof. Bartram Brown discusses.

Sun 30 Sep, 2012
Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!

The Supreme Court officially kicks off its 2012 term on Monday. Prior to every session, the Marshal of the Court intones, "Oyez, oyez, oyez!" Below is one of the finest examples we've found.

Thu 12 Jul, 2012
Parsing the Healthcare Decision

Professors Carolyn Shapiro and Sheldon Nahmod weigh in on the meaning and impact of the Court's complicated ruling in the Affordable Care Act cases.

Thu 28 Jun, 2012
The Healthcare Judgment

Below, Prof. Sheldon Nahmod summarizes today's complicated decision. Prof. Nahmod has also posted some additional thoughts on the opinion on his blog, NahmodLaw. Additionally, Oyez has posted its plain-English summary of the Court's ruling.

Thu 28 Jun, 2012
The Winning Argument

The blockbuster decision by the Court to uphold the controversial Individual Mandate provision of the Affordable Care Act relied on an argument that, until today, most of the media had entirely overlooked.

Tue 24 Apr, 2012
Arizona v. United States - Argument Preview

Prof. Hank Perritt of the IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law discusses the Federalism issues at stake in Arizona v. United States, the final oral argument of the Supreme Court's 2011 term.

Wed 18 Apr, 2012
Follow-up: Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders

Prof. Carolyn Shapiro of the IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law reviews the Supreme Court's decision.

Tue 27 Mar, 2012
The Affordable Care Act Cases - The Medicaid Expansion

The final question the Court will address in its review of the Affordable Care Act is whether the law's expansion of Medicaid is a valid exercise of Congress' power under the Spending Clause.

Thu 15 Mar, 2012
The Affordable Care Act Cases - The Circuit Court Arguments

The Supreme Court's review of the Affordable Care Act cases arose out of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. There, a divided three judge panel struck down the most contentious portions of the law.

As a preview of the upcoming arguments before the Supreme Court, Oyez has collected and transcribed the arguments in the Eleventh Circuit, which you can listen to below.

Mon 26 Mar, 2012
The Affordable Care Act Cases - The Severability Question

The third question the Court will hear in its review of the Affordable Care Act concerns whether the individual mandate provision is legally severable from the rest of the law. Prof. Steve Heyman provides a primer on the question.