http://www.oyez.org/cases/2011/podcast-decisions U.S. Supreme Court Opinion Announcements, presented by The Oyez Project (www.oyez.org) en The Oyez Project at Chicago-Kent http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_400/opinion-2 Is the suit brought by respondents to challenge the minimum coverage provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act barred by the Anti-Injunction Act, 2 U.S.C. 7421(a)? Does Congress have power under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, specifically under the Commerce Clause or the Taxing and Spending Clause, to require most Americans to purchase health insurance? Is the individual mandate severable from the ACA? Did Congress exceed its enumerated powers and violate principles of federalism when it pressured States into accepting conditions that Congress could not impose directly by threatening to withhold all federal funding under Medicaid, the single largest grant-in-aid program? Thu, 28 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83254 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_210/opinion Does 18 U.S.C. 704(b), the Stolen Valor Act, violate the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment? Thu, 28 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83247 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_708/opinion Does Edwards have standing to sue? Thu, 28 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83305 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_400/opinion-3 Is the suit brought by respondents to challenge the minimum coverage provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act barred by the Anti-Injunction Act, 2 U.S.C. 7421(a)? Does Congress have power under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, specifically under the Commerce Clause or the Taxing and Spending Clause, to require most Americans to purchase health insurance? Is the individual mandate severable from the ACA? Did Congress exceed its enumerated powers and violate principles of federalism when it pressured States into accepting conditions that Congress could not impose directly by threatening to withhold all federal funding under Medicaid, the single largest grant-in-aid program? Thu, 28 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83252 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_400/opinion-1 Is the suit brought by respondents to challenge the minimum coverage provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act barred by the Anti-Injunction Act, 2 U.S.C. 7421(a)? Does Congress have power under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, specifically under the Commerce Clause or the Taxing and Spending Clause, to require most Americans to purchase health insurance? Is the individual mandate severable from the ACA? Did Congress exceed its enumerated powers and violate principles of federalism when it pressured States into accepting conditions that Congress could not impose directly by threatening to withhold all federal funding under Medicaid, the single largest grant-in-aid program? Thu, 28 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83253 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_9646/opinion-2 Does the imposition of a life-without-parole sentence on a fourteen-year-old child violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments’ prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment? Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83250 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_9646/opinion-1 Does the imposition of a life-without-parole sentence on a fourteen-year-old child violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments’ prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment? Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83251 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_182/opinion-2 Do the federal immigration laws preclude Arizona's efforts at cooperative law enforcement and preempt the four provisions of S.B. 1070 on their face? Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83248 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_182/opinion-1 Do the federal immigration laws preclude Arizona's efforts at cooperative law enforcement and preempt the four provisions of S.B. 1070 on their face? Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83249 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1121/opinion-2 (1) May a State, consistent with the First and Fourteenth Amendments, condition employment on the payment of a special union assessment intended solely for political and ideological expenditures without first providing a notice that includes information about that assessment and provides an opportunity to object to its exaction? (2) May a State, consistent with the First and Fourteenth Amendments, condition continued public employment on the payment of union agency fees for purposes of financing political expenditures for ballot measures? Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83315 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_94/opinion In light of the rights to criminal due process under the Fifth Amendment and a trial by jury under the Sixth Amendment, must a fact that increases the penalty for a crime, beyond the prescribed statutory maximum, be submitted to a jury and proved beyond a reasonable doubt if the penalty is the imposition of criminal fines? Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83284 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1293/opinion Did the court of appeals err in finding the FCC's indecency policy unconstitutionally vague in its entirety? Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83277 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1121/opinion-1 (1) May a State, consistent with the First and Fourteenth Amendments, condition employment on the payment of a special union assessment intended solely for political and ideological expenditures without first providing a notice that includes information about that assessment and provides an opportunity to object to its exaction? (2) May a State, consistent with the First and Fourteenth Amendments, condition continued public employment on the payment of union agency fees for purposes of financing political expenditures for ballot measures? Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83314 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_5683/opinion Is the FSA applicable when the criminal was sentenced after the FSA passed but the crime occurred prior to passage? Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83307 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_8505/opinion Can an expert witness be called as a stand-in for a lab analyst who actually did a test on criminal evidence, but did not appear at the trial? Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83290 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_551/opinion Under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, is the government required to pay all of the contract support costs incurred by a tribal contractor, as mandated by the Act, if payment of those costs would exceed the express statutory cap on the appropriations available to pay such costs? Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83283 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_204/opinion 1. Must Glaxo and the courts defer to the Secretary of Labor’s definition of “outside salesman” under the Fair Labor Standards Act?2. Does the Secretary of Labor’s definition of “outside salesman” apply to pharmaceutical sales representatives? Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83270 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_246/opinion 1. Does Patchak lack standing because he does not fall within the zone-of-interests protected by the Indian Reorganization Act? 2. Is Patchak’s suit precluded by sovereign immunity to quiet title claims drawn from the Quiet Title Act? Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83263 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_45/opinion If a federal employee has a constitutional claim for equitable relief, do the federal district courts have jurisdiction, or does the Civil Service Reform Act preclude that jurisdiction? Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83287 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_262/opinion 1. Does probable cause to make an arrest bar a First Amendment retaliatory arrest claim? 2. Do Secret Service agents have qualified immunity in the matter of an arrest for which there was probable cause consistent with the Fourth Amendment? Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83280 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_161/opinion Did the City of Indianapolis violate equal protection by forgiving only outstanding Barrett Law assessment balances, and not those of property owners who paid in full? Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83281 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_166/opinion Under the bankruptcy code, may RadLAX pursue a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan which proposes to sell assets free of liens, without allowing Amalgamated Bank to bid on credit, but instead providing the creditor with the equivalent of its claim? Tue, 29 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83259 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1042/opinion Does Section 8(b) of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act prohibit a real estate settlement services provider from charging an unearned fee only if the fee is divided between two or more parties? Thu, 24 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83309 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1320/opinion 1. Did the jury forewoman's announcements of unanimous votes on capital and first-degree murder constitute acquittals under the Fifth Amendment's Double Jeopardy Clause, prohibiting Arkansas from retrying Blueford on those charges? 2. Was there was a manifest necessity to declare a mistrial on charges of capital and first-degree murder? Thu, 24 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83267 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_159/opinion Are Karen K. Capato’s twins - conceived by in vitro fertilization after their biological father’s death - “child(ren)” under Title II of the Social Security Act? Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83271 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1472/opinion Are costs incurred in translating documents “compensation of interpreters” under 28 U.S.C. Section § 1920(6)? Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83257 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1542/opinion 1. Can a parent's years of lawful permanent resident status be applied to an alien who resided with that parent as an unemancipated minor, for the purpose of satisfying 8 U.S.C. 1229b(a)(1)'s requirement that the alien seeking cancellation of removal have "been an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence for not less than 5 years"? 2. Can a parent's years of residence after lawful admission to the United States can be applied to an alien who resided with that parent as an unemancipated minor, for the purpose of satisfying 8 U.S.C. 1229b(a)(2)'s requirement that the alien seeking cancellation of removal have "resided in the United States continuously for 7 years after having been admitted in any status"? Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83311 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_875/opinion Does 11 U.S.C. 1222(a)(2)(A) authorize the bankruptcy court to treat a federal tax debt arising out of the debtor's post-petition sale of a farm asset as a dischargeable debt “incurred by the estate”? Mon, 14 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83274 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_139/opinion 1. Can an understatement of gross income attributable to an overstatement of basis in sold property qualify as an "omi[ssion] from gross income" that triggers the extended six-year assessment period? 2. Is a final regulation from the Department of the Treasury reflecting the IRS's view that an understatement of gross income attributable to an overstatement of basis which can trigger the extended six-year assessment period entitled to judicial deference? Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83295 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_9995/opinion 1) Does an appellate court have the authority to raise the statute of limitations defense without a request by any party? 2) Does the state’s declaration before the district court that it "will not challenge, but [is] not conceding, the timeliness of Wood's habeas petition," amount to a deliberate waiver of any statute of limitations defense the state may have had? Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83285 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1219/opinion (1) Can a plaintiff, who is appealing the denial of an application of a patent by commencing a civil action against the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) in a federal district court pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 145, introduce new evidence that could have been presented to the agency in the first instance? (2) When new evidence is introduced under Section 145, can the district court decide de novo the factual questions to which the evidence pertains, without giving deference to the prior decision of the PTO? Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83262 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_88/opinion Does the Torture Victim Protection Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1350, permit actions against defendants who are not natural persons? Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83302 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_844/opinion (1) Does the counterclaim provision of the Hatch-Waxman Act only apply if Novo’s Prandin patent does not claim any approved method of use? (2) Does Novo's use code for Prandin qualify as “patent information submitted under subsections (b) and (c)” for the purposes of the act? Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83298 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1018/opinion If a private lawyer is retained by the government, is that attorney precluded from claiming qualified immunity solely because he or she is a private lawyer rather than a government employee? Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83296 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_945/opinion Does the Fourth Amendment permit a jail to conduct a suspicion-less strip search whenever an individual is arrested, including for minor offenses? Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83294 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_11_199/opinion 1. Did the court apply the correct test in determining that the introduction of conversations between Marina Perez and Vasquez’s counsel into evidence was harmless error? 2. Did this error violate Vasquez’s Sixth Amendment right to a trial by jury? Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83320 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_788/opinion Are government officials who initiate prosecutions by providing false testimony in judicial proceedings absolutely immune from civil suit? Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83300 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1211/opinion Can 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(13)(C)(v) be applied retroactively to a Lawful Permanent Resident who pleads guilty to a crime of moral turpitude prior to the effective date of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act? Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83273 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1024/opinion Does the Privacy Act's "actual damages" provision cover mental and emotional distress? Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83306 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_7387/opinion Did the district court err by directing that petitioner's federal sentence be served consecutively to a state sentence that had not yet been imposed? Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83289 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_699/opinion Does the political question doctrine deprive a federal court of jurisdiction to enforce a federal statute that explicitly directs the Secretary of State how to record the birthplace of an American citizen on a Consular Report of Birth Abroad and on a passport? Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83269 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1261/opinion Is the two-year time limit for bringing an action under Section 16(b) of the 1934 Securities Exchange Act subject to tolling, and if so, does tolling continue even after the receipt of actual notice of the facts giving rise to the claim? Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83268 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1062/opinion Do landowners have a right to go to court to challenge a Clean Water Act order of the Environmental Protection Agency? Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83308 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_444/opinion-2 Can a defendant who validly pleads guilty assert a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel by alleging that, but for counsel's error in failing to communicate a plea offer, he would have pleaded guilty with more favorable terms? Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83319 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_209/opinion-1 Is a state habeas petitioner entitled to relief when his counsel deficiently advises him to reject a favorable plea bargain but the defendant is later convicted and sentenced pursuant to a fair trial? Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83316 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_209/opinion-2 Is a state habeas petitioner entitled to relief when his counsel deficiently advises him to reject a favorable plea bargain but the defendant is later convicted and sentenced pursuant to a fair trial? Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83317 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_444/opinion-1 Can a defendant who validly pleads guilty assert a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel by alleging that, but for counsel's error in failing to communicate a plea offer, he would have pleaded guilty with more favorable terms? Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83318 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1016/opinion-1 Did Congress constitutionally abrogate states' Eleventh Amendment immunity when it passed the self-care leave provision of the Family and Medical Leave Act? Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83312 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1150/opinion Can certain types of diagnostic medical tests can be patented? Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83256 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1016/opinion-2 Did Congress constitutionally abrogate states' Eleventh Amendment immunity when it passed the self-care leave provision of the Family and Medical Leave Act? Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83313 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1001/opinion May a defendant in a state criminal case who is prohibited by state law from raising on direct appeal any claim of ineffective assistance of trial counsel, but who has a state-law right to raise such a claim in a first post-conviction proceeding, establish cause for a procedural default of a claim of ineffective assistance at trial by showing ineffective assistance at the initial-review collateral proceeding? Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83264 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1399/opinion Under the Longshore Act, is the period when an individual is newly awarded compensation the fiscal year when an injured worker first becomes entitled to compensation or the fiscal year when the injured worker is actually awarded compensation? Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83272 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1265/opinion Is a condemned state prisoner in federal habeas corpus proceedings entitled to replace his court-appointed counsel with another court-appointed lawyer because he expresses dissatisfaction and alleges that his counsel was failing to pursue potentially important evidence? Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83278 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_879/opinion Did Congress intend the federal railroad safety acts to preempt state-law-based tort lawsuits? Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83293 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_218/opinion Does the constitutional test for determining whether a section of a river is navigable for title purposes require a trial court to determine whether the relevant stretch of the river was navigable at the time of statehood? Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83266 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_09_958/opinion Does federal law preempt state reductions in Medicaid payments? Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83310 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_704/opinion Are police officers entitled to qualified immunity when they obtain a valid warrant to search for firearms, firearm-related materials, and gang-related items in the residence of a gang member and felon who had threatened to kill his girlfriend and fired a sawed-off shotgun at her? Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83275 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_577/opinion Is filing a false statement on a corporate tax return an aggravated felony involving fraud or deceit, which would render the immigrant removable? Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83276 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_680%20/10-680_opinion Does federal law automatically require Miranda warnings before questioning jail or prison inmates about issues unrelated to the cases for which they were incarcerated? Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83292 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_224/opinion Is a California law requiring slaughterhouses to "immediately euthanize" any nonambulatory animal on its premises preempted by the Federal Meat Inspection Act? Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83299 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_6549/opinion 1. Does Reynolds have standing under SORNA to raise claims concerning the Attorney General's Interim Rule? 2. Is review by the Court necessary to resolve a split among the circuit courts? Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83261 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1259/opinion Did the warrantless use of a tracking device on Jones's vehicle to monitor its movements on public streets violate Jones' Fourth Amendment rights? Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83304 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_63/opinion Did the Eleventh Circuit properly hold that there was no "cause" to excuse any procedural default when the petitioner was blameless for the default, the State's own conduct contributed to the default and the petitioner's attorneys of record were no longer functioning as his agents at the time of any default? Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83291 at http://www.oyez.org /cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1195/opinion Did Congress divest the federal district courts of their federal-question jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1331 over private actions brought under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act? Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83321 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_545/opinion (1) Does the Progress Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibit Congress from taking works out of the public domain? (2) Does Section 514 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act violate the First Amendment of the United States Constitution? Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83282 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_507/opinion The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act extends workers' compensation coverage under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act "with respect to disability or death of an employee resulting from any injury occurring as the result of operations conducted on the outer Continental Shelf for the purpose of exploring for, developing, removing, or transporting by pipeline the natural resources of the outer Continental Shelf." Does the OCSLA extend Longshore Act coverage only to workers injured on the outer Continental Shelf itself? Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83301 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_8974/opinion Do the Due Process protections against unreliable identification evidence apply to all identifications made under suggestive circumstances? Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83288 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_553/opinion Does the ministerial exception, which prohibits most employment-related lawsuits against religious organizations by employees performing religious functions, apply to a teacher at a religious elementary school who teaches the full secular curriculum, but also teaches daily religion classes, is a commissioned minister, and regularly leads students in prayer and worship? Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83260 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_948/opinion Are claims arising under the Credit Repair Organizations Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1679 et seq., subject to arbitration pursuant to a valid arbitration agreement? Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83258 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_1104/opinion Can employees of private prison operators be sued for violating the constitutional rights of inmates? Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83286 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_895/opinion Was there jurisdiction to issue a certificate of appealability under 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c) and to adjudicate Gonzalez's appeal? Did the application for a writ of habeas corpus run out of time under 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1) due to the date on which the judgment became final by the conclusion of direct review? Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83279 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_8145/opinion Was there a reasonable probability that the outcome would have been different if the undisclosed witness statements were presented at trial? Did the State of Louisiana ignore due process by rejecting Smith's Brady claim? Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 83265 at http://www.oyez.org /cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_694/opinion Can a lawful permanent resident who was convicted by guilty plea of an offense that renders him deportable and excludable under differently phrased statutory subsections be prevented from seeking discretionary relief from removal under former Section 212(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act? Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000 83297 at http://www.oyez.org http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_637/opinion Does a Supreme Court decision qualify as “clearly established Federal law” under 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d), as amended by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, if that Supreme Court decision was entered after the relevant state-court adjudication on the merits ? Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000 83303 at http://www.oyez.org