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Past Cases

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission involves a broad challenge to Congress’s authority to regulate campaign spending by corporations. On July 31, CAC filed a brief with the League of Women Voters of the United States, explaining that the text and history of our Constitution make clear that campaign expenditures by corporations can be subject to greater regulation than expenditures by individuals.

Stop the Beach Renourishment v. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, et. al. is a “judicial takings” case that involves beach restoration and renourishment. On October 5, CAC and the State and Local Legal Center filed a brief in the case on behalf of state and local government organizations, urging the Supreme Court not to create a new doctrine of “judicial takings” because it is unnecessary, impractical, and violates bedrock principles of federalism.

Padilla v. Commonwealth of Kentucky: On June 2, 2009, CAC filed a brief in the Supreme Court case of Padilla v. Commonwealth of Kentucky in support of robust due process protections for immigrant criminal defendants. Padillaraises the question whether the constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel includes advice regarding likely deportation as a result of a criminal conviction.

Caperton v. Massey: On June 8, 2009, the Supreme Court released its opinion in Caperton v. Massey, a case raising the question of whether the 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause requires an elected state judge to recuse himself when a litigant appearing before him has made substantial contributions to the judge’s election campaign. Read CAC's news release hailing the decision and read commentary on Text & History.

NAMUDNO v. Holder: Faced with the prospect of invalidating one of our nation’s most important and iconic civil rights laws – renewed in 2006 with overwhelming support across the political spectrum – the Supreme Court on June 22, 2009, backed one step away from a very steep cliff.

Wyeth v. Levine: In a resounding victory not only for a woman who was seriously injured by corporate wrongdoing, but also for the Constitution, the Supreme Court on March 4, 2009 upheld a state court jury verdict won by Diana Levine against pharmaceutical giant Wyeth, whose drug, Phenergan, caused Ms. Levine to suffer gangrene requiring the amputation of much of her right arm, destroying her livelihood.

Van de Kamp v. Goldstein: On January 26, 2009 the Supreme Court issued a ruling in favor of the prosecutors in Van de Kamp v. Goldstein, a case that addressed whether prosecutors have absolute immunity from liability for failing to provide criminal defendants with constitutionally-required exculpatory information. Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC) filed an amicus brief in this case in support of the respondent, Thomas Lee Goldstein, who spent 24 years in prison after he was wrongfully convicted of murder based on the false testimony of a self-interested jailhouse informant.

Riegel v. Medtronic, Inc.: On Feb. 20th, in an 8-1 opinion written by Justice Scalia, the Court sided with Medtronic's (and the Bush administration's) assertion that federal law preempts state lawsuits like the one undertaken by the Riegels.