The Supreme Court handed down two relatively low-profile decisions this morning, leaving to another day some of the most-awaited cases of the term like Bilski v. Kappos, the business-methods patent-eligibility case that was argued last Nov. 9. The Court won't be in session again until May 17.
The decisions were: Hui v. Castaneda, affirming the immunity of U.S. public health officers from liability for harms committed within the scope of their duties, and; Renico v. Lett, on the double jeopardy implications of a hung-jury mistrial in a Michigan murder case.
In the immunity case, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for a unanimous Court, ruling that federal law clearly bars so-called Bivens actions against Public Health Service employees for constitutional violations. Carlos Castaneda, in federal detention for immigration violations, claimed that medical negligence allowed his cancer to spread. He died soon after filing suit. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit allowed the claim to proceed, but the high court reversed.
"We are mindful of our judicial role," wrote Sotomayor, responding to assertions that the broad immunity was against the public interest. "We are required ... to read the statute according to its text."
In the double jeopardy case, Reginald Lett was found guilty at the second trial after his mistrial. The Michigan Supreme Court rejected his double jeopardy claim, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit granted him habeas corpus relief. The high court reversed, finding that the Michigan Supreme Court's decision was "not unreasonable" under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. wrote for a 6-3 majority, with Justices John Paul Stevens, Sotomayor, and Stephen Breyer dissenting.
The Court also took other actions, including an announcement that as of Tuesday, the public will no longer be able to enter the Court from its front steps. The new arrangement was developed for security reasons, but Justices Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg indicated their disagreement.
Our report on the disagreement over the front doors is here. More on other actions later today at nlj.com.
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