United States Supreme Court

Opinions Filed in March 2020

CITGO Asphalt Ref. Co. v. Frescati Shipping Co.

"Safe-berth" clauses in maritime contracts, depending on the language, embody a warranty of safety, imposing liability for unsafe berth regardless of the care taken by the charterer in choosing a berth.

Area(s) of Law:
  • Contract Law

Allen v. Cooper Gov. of North Carolina

Congress lacks the authority to abrogate the government’ sovereign immunity from copyright infringement suits under the Copyright Remedy Clarification Act of 1990.

Area(s) of Law:
  • Copyright

Comcast Corp. v. Nat’l Ass’n of African American-Owned Media

Under the text and history of 42 U.S.C. §1981, there is no exception to depart from the common law principle requiring a plaintiff to first plead and then prove that its injury would not have occurred “but for” the defendant’s unlawful conduct.

Area(s) of Law:
  • Tort Law

Davis v. United States

When a plain error affects substantial rights, neither Rule 52(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure nor federal precedent shields any category of errors from plain-error review.

Area(s) of Law:
  • Civil Procedure

Guerrero-Lasprilla v. Barr

An appellate court may review a question of equitable tolling under the Limited Review Provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act as undisputed or established facts present a question of law.

Area(s) of Law:
  • Immigration

Kahler v. Kansas

Due process does not require that a test of insanity as a defense to a crime turn on a defendant’s ability to recognize the moral turpitude of his crime.

Area(s) of Law:
  • Constitutional Law

Kansas v. Garcia

IRCA does not expressly or impliedly preempt state prosecution for fraudulently using another person’s information on state and federal tax-withholding forms even when that same information is found on an I-9 form.

Area(s) of Law:
  • Preemption

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