We continue our coverage of Monday’s decisions with Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (11-345), the Court’s long-awaited decision on the University’s affirmative action policies; Mutual Pharmaceutical Co. v. Bartlett (12-142), where the Court found that federal preemption required eradication of a $21 million verdict against the manufacturer of a generic prescription drug; and United States v. Kebodeaux (12-418), holding that…
Read More Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (11-345), Mutual Pharmaceutical Co. v. Bartlett (12-142), and United States v. Kebodeaux (12-418)

The Court handed down two major employer victories in Title VII cases today: Vance v. Ball State University (11-556), in which the Court narrowly defined “supervisors,” thus limiting employer liability in workplace harassment cases; and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center v. Nassar (12-484), holding that plaintiffs asserting retaliation claims must establish traditional “but-for” causation, rather than a lesser “motivating factor” causation standard.
Read More Vance v. Ball State University (11-556) and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center v. Nassar (12-484)

The Court kicked off the last week of the Term with 5 signed opinions, a per curiam decision, and a dozen cert grants and SG invites. This Update covers today’s orders as well as last week’s decision in Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society Int’l, Inc. (12-10).

The Chief and Justice Scalia fought over prostitution and free speech in Agency for …
Read More Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society Int’l, Inc. (12-10) and Order List