Petitions to watch | Conference of April 29

In its Conference of April 29, 2016, the Court will consider petitions involving issues such as whether, for federal habeas purposes, California’s procedural rule generally barring review of claims that were available but not raised on direct appeal is an “adequate” state-law ground for rejection of a claim; the appropriate test to determine when a feature of a useful article is protectable under Section 101 of the Copyright Act; and whether execution of a condemned individual more than three-and-a-half decades after the imposition of a death sentence violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

15-789

15-797

15-833

15-866

15-927

15-998

15-8119