SCOTUS Megathread: Opinions in Rimini St., Loos, 4th Estate released Monday 3/4

[Silent Hunter]

Ah, right. Thanks.

[politicallefty]

In Madison v. Alabama, a case relating to whether a person can be executed if they do not remember their crime, Court rules in a 5-3 decision (Kagan, joined by liberals and Roberts; Kavanaugh not participating) that you can still be executed if you don't remember your crime, but not if you cannot understand why you are being executed; sends it back to lower court to answer that question.

That's legit interesting. I can't recall Chief Justice Roberts ever joining the liberals on a death penalty case.

[Silent Hunter]

Roberts is turning himself into a swing judge. Not the first justice to change tack over their time on the bench.

[Sestak]

Three new opinions today. Two unanimous ones on January-argued copyright cases.

In Rimini Steeet v. Oracle USA, a case relating to what qualifies as “full costs” being awarded to the winner of a copyright claim, Court rules in a 9-0 decision (written by Kavanaugh) that full costs are limited to the six categories of cost explicitly set out by the Copyright Act.

In Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp v. Wall-Street.com, a case relating to the precise meaning of a provision of copyright statute which states that a party can only file copyright suit after making a copyright claim to the Copyright Office, Court rules in a 9-0 decision (written by Ginsburg) that the claim is, for the purposes of this section, only considered to be made once it is processed by the Copyright Office.

In BNSF Railway Company v. Loos, a case relating to whether or not an employee who was awarded compensation for lost wages should have that compensation be subject to the payroll tax, Court rules in a 7-2 decision (Ginsburg, joined by all but Thomas and Gorsuch) that the award for lost wages is subject to the payroll tax.