Sveen v. Melin
| Docket No. | Op. Below | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-1432 | 8th Cir. | Mar 19, 2018 | Jun 11, 2018 | 8-1 | Kagan | OT 2017 |
Holding: The retroactive application of Minnesota’s revocation-on-divorce statute -- which automatically nullifies an ex-spouse’s beneficiary designation on a life-insurance policy or other will substitute -- does not violate the Constitution’s contracts clause.
Judgment: Reversed and remanded, 8-1, in an opinion by Justice Kagan on June 11, 2018. Justice Gorsuch filed a dissenting opinion.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- The Annual: OT2017 in Review (First Mondays, July 9, 2018)
- OT2017 #29: "Average Joe" (First Mondays, June 18, 2018)
- A "view" from the courtroom: Chipping away at the caseload (Mark Walsh, June 11, 2018)
- Opinion analysis: Court rejects constitutional challenge to state law on insurance policies after divorce (Amy Howe, June 11, 2018)
- Argument analysis: Legal questions, practical concerns at play in post-divorce life insurance case (Amy Howe, March 19, 2018)
- OT2017 #18: "Legal Faux Pas" (First Mondays, March 19, 2018)
- Argument preview: Justices consider contracts clause and post-divorce life-insurance policies (Amy Howe, March 12, 2018)
- Justices release March calendar (Amy Howe, January 24, 2018)
- Court adds seven new cases to merits docket (Amy Howe, December 8, 2017)
- Petition of the day (Aurora Barnes, August 7, 2017)
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
|---|---|
| Jun 01 2017 | Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due July 3, 2017) |
| Jun 05 2017 | Waiver of right of respondent Kaye Melin to respond filed. |
| Jul 19 2017 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of September 25, 2017. |
| Aug 01 2017 | Response Requested. (Due August 31, 2017) |
| Aug 16 2017 | Order extending time to file response to petition to and including September 29, 2017. |
| Sep 29 2017 | Brief of respondent Kaye Melin in opposition filed. |
| Oct 06 2017 | Reply of petitioners Ashley Sveen, et al. filed. |
| Oct 18 2017 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 11/3/2017. |
| Oct 23 2017 | Rescheduled. |
| Nov 20 2017 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 12/8/2017. |
| Dec 08 2017 | Petition GRANTED. |
| Dec 18 2017 | Letter from counsel for petitioners regarding case caption filed. |
| Jan 16 2018 | Motion to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed by petitioners Ashley Sveen, et al. |
| Jan 22 2018 | Motion to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed by petitioners GRANTED. |
| Jan 22 2018 | Brief of petitioners Ashley Sveen, et al. filed. |
| Jan 24 2018 | SET FOR ARGUMENT ON Monday, March 19, 2018 |
| Jan 26 2018 | Brief amicus curiae of American College of Trust and Estate Counsel filed. |
| Feb 07 2018 | CIRCULATED |
| Feb 21 2018 | Record requested from the U.S.C.A. 8th Circuit. |
| Feb 21 2018 | Brief of respondent Kaye Melin filed. (Distributed) |
| Feb 27 2018 | Brief amicus curiae of Professor James W. Ely, Jr. filed. (Distributed) |
| Feb 28 2018 | Brief amici curiae of The Women’s Law Project, et al. filed. (Distributed) |
| Mar 05 2018 | Record received from the U.S.C.A. 8th Circuit. (1 Box) |
| Mar 08 2018 | Reply of petitioners Ashley Sveen, et al. filed. (Distributed) |
| Mar 19 2018 | Argued. For petitioners: Adam G. Unikowsky, Washington, D. C. For respondent: Shay Dvoretzky, Washington, D. C. |
| Jun 11 2018 | Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Kagan, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Kennedy, Thomas, Ginsburg, Breyer, Alito, and Sotomayor, JJ., joined. Gorsuch, J., filed a dissenting opinion. |
| Jul 13 2018 | JUDGMENT ISSUED. |
| Aug 21 2018 | The Record from the U.S.C.A. 8th C has been returned. |
