As expected, the Supreme Court's final sitting of the year 2009 today yielded no decisions -- including the long-awaited Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. That potential landmark campaign finance case was re-argued in special session on Sept. 9, presumably to help speed the decision, but three months later it has not emerged. The next session when it might be handed down is Jan. 12, 2010.
The Court today did, however, grant review in three cases, including an Internet-age privacy dispute over whether an employer can view workers' text messages without permission.
In Ontario v. Quon, the city of Ontario, California, is challenging a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit that established a right of privacy for employees in their text messages, even when they use devices provided by the employer to create the messages. In January, when the full 9th Circuit denied en banc review in the case, Judge Sandra Ikuta wrote in dissent that the panel ruling "hobbles government employers from managing their workforces." Check back here later for more on today's high court action.
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