United States Supreme Court

Opinions Filed in May 2020

Opati v. Republic of Sudan

Federal causes of action under section 1605A(c) can seek punitive damages because Congress expressly authorized them when it amended the statute.

Area(s) of Law:
  • Tort Law

Lucky Brand Dungarees v. Marcel

Defense preclusion is not applicable in a second action when the same defenses from the first action are asserted but applied to different conduct, legal theories, and occurred at different times than those asserted in the first action and did not pose a risk of negatively affecting the first judgment.

Area(s) of Law:
  • Civil Procedure

Kelly v. United States

A person commits wire fraud or fraud on a government entity only when they commit actual fraud and the fraud “obtain[s] property or money." 18 U.S.C. §§ 343, 666(a)(1)(A). Even if a scheme of fraud "obtains property," the second element requires that the "obtaining property or money" be the principal object of the fraud; this means that the scheme does not "obtain[] property or money" inadvertently. See Pasquantino v. United States, 544 U.S. 349, 364 (2005).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Criminal Law

U.S. v. Sineneng-Smith

Under the party presentation principle, a court’s role is to neutrally adjudicate cases as presented by the parties, not to reframe the controversy.

Area(s) of Law:
  • Appellate Procedure

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