Another June Crunch for the Supreme Court, With 27 Decisions Pending
The Supreme Court has yet to issue opinions on violent video games and a huge class action as it works to wrap up its work.
The court has issued 54 opinions on the merits this term, and 27 more remain to be decided, SCOTUSblog reports. The court is expected to issue at least one decision today. Bloomberg News and United Press International highlight major opinions yet to be issued, including:
• Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, which asks whether California’s ban on the sale and rental of violent video games to minors violates the First Amendment. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had overturned the law, saying the state did not produce enough evidence showing the harmful effects of the games. Oral arguments were on Nov. 2, leading to speculation about reasons for the delay in a decision.
• Wal-Mart Stores Inc. v. Dukes, which asks whether an estimated 1.5 million former employees of Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club can bring their monetary claims in a class action lawsuit. Tort-reform advocate Ted Frank is so confident of a Wal-Mart win, based partly on oral arguments, that he has invested 10 percent of his net worth in call contracts that bet Wal-Mart stock will bounce when the decision is issued.
• American Electric Power v. Connecticut, which asks whether states can use the tort theory of nuisance in a global warming lawsuit against four coal-burning power companies. The suit seeks a reduction in the carbon-monoxide emissions of four electric power companies and the Tennessee Power Authority.
• Microsoft vs. i4i Limited Partnership, which seeks to overturn a $240 million verdict against Microsoft for infringing a patent on editing custom XML. Microsoft contends it should be able to challenge the validity of the patent held by plaintiff i4i Limited Partnership by a “preponderance of the evidence” standard, rather than the more difficult “clear and convincing evidence” standard. With interest, the award is at least $290 million. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., had upheld the verdict.
