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: SCOTUSBLOGPetitions to watch | Conference of 10.8.10
By Anna Christensen
This edition of ?Petitions to watch? features cases up for consideration at the Justices’ October 8 conference. These are petitions raising issues that Tom has determined have a reasonable chance of being granted, although we post them here without consideration of whether they present appropriate vehicles in which to decide those issues.
Title: Denali, L.L.C. v. Utah State Tax Commission
Docket: 09-1442
Issue(s): 1) Whether Utah Code Ann. Title 59 Chapter 27 is a content-based tax that violates the First Amendment; and 2) whether that tax passes intermediate scrutiny under United States v. O'Brien, 391 U.S. 367 (1968).
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
- Opinion below (Supreme Court of Utah)
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief in opposition
- Amicus brief for the Association of Club Executives, Inc.
Title: Association of Christian Schools International v. Stearns
Docket: 09-1461
Issue(s): Whether, for purposes of eligibility for admission, the rejection by the University of California system and California State University of courses in religious high schools having a religious viewpoint is constitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
- Opinion below (9th Circuit)
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief in opposition
- Petitioners' reply
- Amicus brief for the Catholic League and Ignatius Press
Title: Borough of Duryea v. Guarnieri
Docket: 09-1476
Issue(s): Whether state and local government employees may sue their employers for retaliation under the First Amendment?s Petition Clause when they petitioned the government on matters of private concern.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
- Opinion below (3d Circuit)
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief in opposition
- Petitioners' reply
- Amicus brief of Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs
Title: Madison County v. Oneida Indian Nation
Docket: 10-72
Issue(s): (1) Whether tribal sovereign immunity from suit bars taxing authorities from foreclosing to collect lawfully imposed property taxes; and (2) whether the ancient Oneida reservation in New York was disestablished or diminished.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
- Opinion below (2d Circuit)
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief in opposition
- Petitioners' reply
- Amicus brief of the Town of Lenox, New York
- Amicus brief of the States of New York et al.
- Amicus brief of the Town of Verona and Town of Vernon, New York
- Amicus brief of Cayuga County and Seneca County
- Amicus brief of Citizens Equal Rights Foundation et al.
Title: Aquino v. Suiza Dairy
Docket: 10-74
Issue(s): Whether a federal court can order retrospective monetary relief against a sovereign as long as the necessary funds do not come directly from the general treasury.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
- Opinion below (1st Circuit)
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief in opposition
- Brief in opposition for respondent Vaquería Tres Monjitas, Inc.
- Petitioners' reply
- Amicus brief of Texas et al.
Title: Wyeth LLC v. Kirkland
Docket: 10-222
Issue(s): Whether, under the doctrine of fraudulent misjoinder, a federal court should retain jurisdiction over a removed action when claims by non-diverse plaintiffs have been joined with claims by diverse plaintiffs.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
- Opinion below (8th Circuit)
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief in opposition
- Petitioners' reply
- Amicus brief for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
- Amicus brief for DRI - The Voice of the Defense Bar
__________________________________________________________________________________________
The following petitions have been re-listed for the conference of October 8. If any other paid petitions are redistributed for this conference, we will add them below as soon as their redistribution is noted on the docket.
Title: Wong v. Smith
Docket: 09-1031
Issue(s): Do 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d) and this Court?s precedent permit federal habeas corpus relief on a claim that a state judge unconstitutionally ?coerces? jurors to return a guilty verdict by identifying specific evidence in the case as important and instructing them to consider it?
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
- Opinion below (9th Circuit)
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief in opposition (forthcoming)
- Petitioner's reply
Title: Bond v. United States
Docket: 09-1227
Issue(s): Whether a criminal defendant convicted under a federal statute has standing to challenge her conviction on grounds that, as applied to her, the statute is beyond the federal government?s enumerated powers and inconsistent with the Tenth Amendment.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
Title: Beer v. United States
Docket: 09-1395
Issue(s): Whether the Compensation Clause of Article III prevents Congress from withholding the future judicial salary adjustments established by the Ethics Reform Act of 1989.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief in opposition
- Petitioners' reply
- Amicus brief of Bar Associations
- Amicus brief of the American Bar Association
- Amicus brief of International Municipal Lawyers Association
- Amicus brief of Federal Judges Association
- Denial of rehearing en banc (Federal Circuit)
- Summary affirmance (Federal Circuit)
Title: Ryan v. Doody
Docket: 09-1443
Issue(s): Whether the Ninth Circuit disregarded the AEDPA and this Court?s recent decision in Florida v. Powell when it held that the Miranda warnings given to Doody were inadequate; whether the Ninth Circuit disregarded the AEDPA in holding that Doody?s statements were involuntary.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
Title: Camreta v. Greene
Docket: 09-1454
Issue(s): (1) Whether the traditional warrant/warrant exception requirements that apply to seizures of suspected criminals should apply to an interview of the child in light of reports of child abuse, or whether instead a balancing standard should apply; and (2) whether the Ninth Circuit?s constitutional ruling is reviewable, notwithstanding that it ruled in the petitioner?s favor on qualified immunity grounds.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
- Opinion below (9th Circuit)
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief in opposition
- Amicus brief of states
- Amicus brief of the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys' Advisory Council
- Amicus brief of the California State Association of Counties et al.
Title: Alford v. Greene
Docket: 09-1478
Issue(s): Whether the Fourth Amendment requires a warrant, a court order, parental consent, or exigent circumstances before law enforcement and child welfare officials may conduct a temporary seizure and interview at a public school of a child whom they reasonably suspect was being sexually abused.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
- Opinion below (9th Circuit)
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief in opposition
- Amicus brief for the Los Angeles County District Attorney
Title: United States v. Hagen
Docket: 09-1520
Issue(s): Whether a conviction for misdemeanor assault by intentionally and knowingly causing bodily injury to a family member qualifies as a conviction for a ?misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.?
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
- Opinion below (5th Circuit)
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief in opposition (forthcoming)
- Petitioner's reply
Title: DePierre v. United States
Docket: 09-1533
Issue(s): Whether the term ?cocaine base? encompasses every form of cocaine that is classified chemically as a base, or whether the term ?cocaine base? is limited to ?crack? cocaine.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
Title: Global-Tech Appliances, Inc. v. SEB S.A.
Docket: 10-6
Issue(s): Whether the legal standard for the "state of mind" element of a claim for actively inducing infringement under 35 U.S.C. § 271(b) is ?deliberate indifference of a known risk? that an infringement may occur or instead ?purposeful, culpable expression and conduct? to encourage an infringement.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
- Opinion below (Federal Circuit)
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief in opposition
- Amicus brief for 26 Law, Economics, and Business Professors
Title: Allen v. Lawhorn
Docket: 10-24
Issue(s): Whether a state court?s determination that trial counsel?s waiver of a penalty-phase closing argument did not prejudice the defendant is ?contrary to? Supreme Court precedent.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
Title: Weise v. Casper
Docket: 10-67
Issue(s): Whether First Amendment law prohibits government officials who are speaking at events that are open to the public and paid for by taxpayers from excluding people from the audience on the basis of their viewpoints.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
- Opinion below (10th Circuit)
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief for respondent Michael Casper in opposition
- Brief for respondent Jay Bob Klinkerman in opposition
- Petitioners? reply
Title: Wilson v. Corcoran
Docket: 10-91
Issue(s): Whether a state capital defendant has a constitutional right to a sentencing decision that is not informed by facts that are neither elements of his crime or aggravated circumstances authorized by statute, and, if so, whether a federal court may grant habeas relief based on its own finding that the state trial court improperly considered non-statutory factors when imposing its sentence.
Certiorari-Stage Documents:
Full post as published by SCOTUSBLOG on October 05, 2010 (boomark / email).

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