Details on today’s opinions
on Jan 18, 2012 at 10:56 am
It was a busy morning for Justice Ginsburg, who announced all three of today’s opinions for the Court.
The first opinion of the day came in Maples v. Thomas. By a vote of seven to two, the Court reversed the decision of the Eleventh Circuit, holding that death row inmate Cory Maples has shown the requisite “cause” to excuse his procedural default, which occurred when his lawyer missed a filing deadline in state court. Justice Alito filed a concurring opinion. Justice Scalia filed a dissenting opinion, which was joined by Justice Thomas.
The second opinion of the day was in Golan v. Holder. By a vote of six to two, the Court affirmed the decision of the Tenth Circuit, holding that Section 514 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act does not exceed Congress’s authority under the Copyright Clause. Justice Breyer filed a dissenting opinion, which was joined by Justice Alito. Justice Kagan did not take part in the consideration or decision of the case. [Disclosure: Goldstein & Russell, P.C. represented the petitioners in the case.]
The third and final opinion of the day was in Mims v. Arrow Financial Services. In a unanimous decision, the Court held that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act’s grant of jurisdiction to state courts does not deprive the federal district courts of federal-question jurisdiction over private lawsuits seeking to enforce the Act. The Eleventh Circuit’s opinion below is reversed, and the case is remanded for further consideration.
