Details on today’s opinions

By Kali Borkoski
on Jun 16, 2011 at 10:47 am

This morning, the Court issued five opinions in cases argued on the merits.  For the complete list of decided cases, click here.

Justice Kagan announced the first two opinions of the day.  The first opinion was in Smith v. Bayer. In a unanimous opinion, the Court reversed the decision of the Eighth Circuit.  It held that a federal district court exceeded its authority under the “re-litigation exception” to the Anti-Injunction Act when it enjoined a state court from considering a request for class certification; the district court’s denial of a similar class-certification request by a different plaintiff did not preclude other plaintiffs from proceeding in state court when it is unclear whether the certification issues in the same court were the same and the state plaintiffs were neither a party to the federal suit nor covered by any exceptions to the rule against nonparty preclusion.  Justice Thomas joins only Parts I and II-A of the Court’s opinion.

Justice Kagan’s second opinion of the day, in Tapia v. United States, was also unanimous.  The Court reversed the decision of the Ninth Circuit, holding that 18 U.S.C. § 3582(a) does not permit a sentencing court to impose or lengthen a prison term to foster a defendant’s rehabilitation. Justice Sotomayor filed a concurring opinion, which was joined by Justice Alito.

Justice Sotomayor authored the third opinion, in J.D.B. v. North Carolina. By a vote of five to four, the Court reversed the decision of the North Carolina Supreme Court and remanded the case for further proceedings.  It held that a child’s age is a relevant factor to consider in determining whether the child is “in custody” for purposes of Miranda v. Arizona. Justice Alito filed a dissenting opinion, which was joined by the Chief Justice and Justices Scalia and Thomas.

Justice Alito had the opinion in Davis v. United States.  By a vote of seven to two, the Court affirmed the decision of the Eleventh Circuit.  It held that  searches conducted in objectively reasonable reliance on binding decisions of the courts of appeals are not subject to the exclusionary rule. Justice Breyer wrote a dissenting opinion, which was joined by Justice Ginsburg.

Justice Kennedy delivered the final opinion today, in Bond v. United States. In a unanimous opinion, the Court reversed the decision of the Third Circuit and remanded for further proceedings.  It held that a criminal defendant who is indicted on charges that she violated a federal statute has standing to challenge the validity of the statute on the ground that it infringes on the powers reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment. Justice Ginsburg filed a concurring opinion, which was joined by Justice Breyer.