2014 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Clarence Thomas

The 2014 term of the Supreme Court of the United States began October 6, 2014, and concluded October 4, 2015. This was the twenty-fourth term of Associate Justice Clarence Thomas's tenure on the Court.
Clarence Thomas 2014 term statistics
7
Majority or Plurality
10
Concurrence
1
Other
22
Dissent
3
Concurrence/dissent Total = 43
Bench opinions = 37 Opinions relating to orders = 6 In-chambers opinions = 0
Unanimous opinions: 3 Most joined by: Scalia (17 in full, 2 in part) Least joined by: Breyer (4 in full, 1 in part)
Type Case Citation Issues Joined by Other opinions
501



Maricopa County v. Lopez-Valenzuela 574 U.S. ___ (2014)

Arizona Proposition 100 (2006)  • standard for granting writ of certiorari Scalia
Thomas filed a statement respecting the Court's denial of an application for a stay, saying he joined it because he did not believe four justices would vote to grant certiorari. He expressed hope, however, that his prediction would prove wrong, as the lower court's decision had invalidated a state constitutional amendment, and he thought the Court "owe[d] the people of Arizona the respect of our review."
102



Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc. v. Busk 574 U.S. ___ (2014)

Fair Labor Standards Act  • Portal-to-Portal Act  • compensation for theft prevention screening of employees Unanimous
Sotomayor
403



Dart Cherokee Basin Operating Co. v. Owens 574 U.S. ___ (2014)

jurisdiction over denial of appeal
Ginsburg
Scalia
404



Jennings v. Stephens 574 U.S. ___ (2015)

Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure  • defense of judgment on alternative grounds Kennedy, Alito
Scalia
405



T-Mobile South, LLC v. City of Roswell 574 U.S. ___ (2015)

Telecommunications Act of 1996  • denial by local government of cell phone tower placement
Sotomayor
Alito
Roberts
406



Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. v. Sandoz, Inc. 574 U.S. ___ (2015)

patent law  • claim construction  • appellate standard of review  • Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Alito
Breyer
407



Plumley v. Austin 574 U.S. ___ (2015)

greater sentence after new trial  • presumption of vindictiveness Scalia
Thomas dissented from the Court's denial of certiorari.
108



M&G Polymers USA, LLC v. Tackett 574 U.S. ___ (2015)

Employee Retirement Income Security Act  • Labor Management Relations Act  • interpretation of collective bargaining agreements Unanimous
Ginsburg
409



Strange v. Searcy 574 U.S. ___ (2015)

same-sex marriage Scalia
Thomas dissented from the Court's denial of an application for a stay.
310



Kansas v. Nebraska 574 U.S. ___ (2015)

Republican River Compact Scalia, Alito; Roberts (in part)
Kagan
Roberts
Scalia
111



Direct Marketing Assn. v. Brohl 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

Tax Injunction Act  • state collection of online sales tax  • online retailer reporting requirements Unanimous
Kennedy
Ginsburg
412



Alabama Dept. of Revenue v. CSX Transp., Inc. 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

discriminatory taxation of rail carrier Ginsburg
Scalia
213



Department of Transportation v. Association of American Railroads 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

status of Amtrak as governmental entity  • Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008  • separation of powers  • nondelegation doctrine
Kennedy
Alito
214



Perez v. Mortgage Bankers Assn. 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

Administrative Procedure Act  • exclusion of interpretive rules from notice-and-comment requirements  • deference to agency interpretation of ambiguous regulations  • separation of powers
Sotomayor
Scalia
Alito
415



B&B Hardware, Inc. v. Hargis Industries, Inc. 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

trademark law  • issue preclusion  • adjudication by Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Scalia
Alito
Ginsburg
216



Omnicare, Inc. v. Laborers Dist. Council Constr. Industry Pension Fund 574 U.S. ___ (2015)

Securities Act of 1933  • opinions in registration statement later proved incorrect
Kagan
Scalia
417



Alabama Legislative Black Caucus v. Alabama 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

Fourteenth Amendment  • Equal Protection Clause  • redistricting  • racial gerrymandering  • Voting Rights Act of 1965
Breyer
Scalia
418



Rodriguez v. United States 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

Fourth Amendment  • traffic stop  • dog sniff of car for drugs  • reasonable suspicion Alito; Kennedy (in part)
Ginsburg
Kennedy
Alito
219



Oneok, Inc. v. Learjet, Inc. 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

Natural Gas Act  • federal preemption of state antitrust laws
Breyer
Scalia
420



Comptroller of Treasury of Md. v. Wynne 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

state credit for income tax paid to other states  • Dormant Commerce Clause  • internal consistency test Scalia (in part)
Alito
Scalia
Ginsburg
421



Wellness Int'l Network, Ltd. v. Sharif 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

bankruptcy law  • Article III  • consent to adjudication by bankruptcy courts
Sotomayor
Alito
Roberts
422



Elonis v. United States 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

federal crime against communicating threat  • scienter  • First Amendment  • freedom of speech
Roberts
Alito
323



EEOC v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc. 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

Title VII  • refusal to hire applicant because of religious practices  • disparate treatment  • failure to accommodate
Scalia
Alito
124



Bank of America, N. A. v. Caulkett 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

bankruptcy law  • Chapter 7  • voidability of underwater junior lien Roberts, Scalia, Ginsburg, Alito, Kagan; Kennedy, Breyer, Sotomayor (in part)
425



Mellouli v. Lynch 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

removal of alien for state law drug paraphernalia conviction Alito
Ginsburg
426



County of Maricopa v. Lopez-Valenzuela 575 U.S. ___ (2015)

Arizona Proposition 100 (2006)  • denial of bail to illegal immigrants charged with serious felonies  • Fourteenth Amendment  • Due Process Clause  • substantive due process Scalia
Thomas dissented from the Court's denial of certiorari.
327



Zivotofsky v. Kerry 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

diplomatic recognition  • separation of powers  • Article Two  • U.S. position on status of Jerusalem  • Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003  • passport designation of births in Jerusalem
Kennedy
Breyer
Roberts
Scalia
428



Jackson v. City and County of San Francisco 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

Second Amendment  • city restrictions on handgun accessibility in the home Scalia
Thomas dissented from the Court's denial of certiorari.
129



Baker Botts L.L.P. v. ASARCO LLC 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

bankruptcy law  • Chapter 11  • attorney's fee application  • award of attorneys fees for defending application  • American Rule Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy, Alito; Sotomayor (in part)
Sotomayor
Breyer
430



Reyes Mata v. Lynch 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

immigration law  • motion to reopen removal proceedings  • court of appeals jurisdiction to review Board of Immigration Appeals actions
Kagan
131



Reed v. Town of Gilbert 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

First Amendment  • free speech  • content-based restrictions  • regulation of signs on private property Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy, Alito, Sotomayor
Breyer
Alito
Kagan
132



McFadden v. United States 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act of 1986  • knowledge requirement Scalia, Kennedy, Ginsburg, Breyer, Alito, Sotomayor, Kagan
Roberts
233



Ohio v. Clark 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

Sixth Amendment  • Confrontation Clause  • admissibility of statements by child abuse victim to teacher  • mandatory reporting obligations
Alito
Scalia
234



Davis v. Ayala 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

solitary confinement
Alito
Kennedy
Sotomayor
435



Brumfield v. Cain 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

Eighth Amendment  • execution of the intellectually disabled  • Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 Roberts, Scalia, Alito (in part)
Sotomayor
Alito
236



Horne v. Department of Agriculture 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937  • National Raisin Reserve  • Fifth Amendment  • Takings Clause
Roberts
Breyer
Sotomayor
437



Texas Dept. of Housing and Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project, Inc. 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

Fair Housing Act  • state allocation of federal low-income housing tax credits  • disparate impact
Kennedy
Alito
238



Johnson v. United States 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

Armed Career Criminal Act  • residual clause  • Fifth Amendment  • Due Process Clause  • void for vagueness
Scalia
Kennedy
Alito
439



Obergefell v. Hodges 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

same-sex marriage  • Fourteenth Amendment  • Due Process Clause  • Equal Protection Clause Scalia
Kennedy
Roberts
Scalia
Alito
240



Michigan v. EPA 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

Clean Air Act  • regulation of power plant emissions  • relevance of cost to decision to regulate
Scalia
Kagan
441



Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Comm'n 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

Elections Clause  • legislative redistricting  • Arizona Proposition 106 (2000)  • gerrymandering  • Article III  • standing of legislature to bring suit Scalia
Ginsburg
Roberts
Scalia
242



Glossip v. Gross 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

Eighth Amendment  • death penalty  • use of midazolam in lethal injection Scalia
Alito
Scalia
Breyer
Sotomayor
443



Joyner v. Barnes 576 U.S. ___ (2015)

Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 Alito
Thomas dissented from the Court's denial of certiorari.

References

  • "2014 Term Opinions of the Court". Supreme Court of the United States. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  • "2014 Term Opinions Relating to Orders". Supreme Court of the United States. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  • "2014 Term In-Chambers Opinions". Supreme Court of the United States. Retrieved October 5, 2015.