| Docket No. | Op. Below | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13-483 | 11th Cir. | Apr 28, 2014 | Jun 19, 2014 | 9-0 | Sotomayor | OT 2013 |
Disclosure: Goldstein & Russell, P.C., whose attorneys contribute to this blog in various capacities, serves as counsel to the petitioner in this case.
Holding: Testimony in a criminal prosecution by a government employee about fraud in the program where he works is protected by the First Amendment; however, the supervisor who fired him in retaliation for that testimony has qualified immunity from suit because it was not "beyond debate" that the employee’s testimony was protected.
Judgment: Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded., 9-0, in an opinion by Justice Sotomayor on June 19, 2014.
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
|---|---|
| Oct 15 2013 | Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due November 18, 2013) |
| Nov 14 2013 | Brief of respondent Steve Franks in opposition filed. |
| Nov 26 2013 | Reply of petitioner Edward R. Lane filed. |
| Dec 4 2013 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 10, 2014. |
| Jan 13 2014 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 17, 2014. |
| Jan 17 2014 | Petition GRANTED. |
| Feb 4 2014 | Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the petitioner. |
| Feb 11 2014 | SET FOR ARGUMENT ON Monday, April 28, 2014 |
| Feb 19 2014 | Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the respondent Steve Franks. |
| Feb 20 2014 | Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the respondent Susan Burrows. |
| Feb 20 2014 | Motion to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed by petitioner Edward R. Lane. |
| Mar 3 2014 | Brief of petitioner Edward R. Lane filed. |
| Mar 3 2014 | Brief of respondent Susan Burrow in support of reversal in part and affirmance in part filed. |
| Mar 5 2014 | Brief amicus curiae of Alliance Defending Freedom filed. |
| Mar 7 2014 | Brief amicus curiae of National Whistleblower Center filed. (Distributed) |
| Mar 10 2014 | Motion to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed by petitioner GRANTED. |
| Mar 10 2014 | Record received from U.S.D.C. Northern District of Alabama is electronic. (Not on PACER). |
| Mar 10 2014 | CIRCULATED. |
| Mar 10 2014 | Brief amici curiae of American Civil Liberties Union, et al. filed. (Distributed) |
| Mar 10 2014 | Brief amici curiae of Law Professors filed. (Distributed) |
| Mar 10 2014 | Brief amicus curiae of Government Accountability Project filed. (Distributed) |
| Mar 10 2014 | Brief amicus curiae of United States supporting affirmance in part and reversal in part filed. |
| Mar 10 2014 | Brief amicus curiae of The National Association of Police Organizations filed. (Distributed) |
| Mar 10 2014 | Brief amici curiae of National Education Association, et al. filed. (Distributed) |
| Mar 10 2014 | Brief amicus curiae of First Amendment Coalition filed. (Distributed) |
| Mar 10 2014 | Brief amicus curiae of American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations filed. (Distributed) |
| Apr 2 2014 | Brief of respondent Steve Franks filed. (Distributed) |
| Apr 8 2014 | Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae, for divided argument, and for allocation of argument time filed. |
| Apr 9 2014 | Brief amici curiae of The International Municipal Lawyers Association, et al. filed. (Distributed) |
| Apr 11 2014 | Reply of petitioner Edward R. Lane filed. (Distributed) |
| Apr 17 2014 | Reply of respondent Susan Burrow filed. (Distributed) |
| Apr 18 2014 | Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae, for divided argument, and for allocation of argument time GRANTED. |
| Apr 22 2014 | Letter from counsel for petitioner Edward R. Lane filed. (Distributed) |
| Apr 28 2014 | Argued. For petitioner: Tejinder Singh, Washington, D. C.; and Ian H. Gershengorn, Deputy Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. (for United States, as amicus curiae.) For respondent Burrow: Luther J. Strange, III, Attorney General, Montgomery, Ala. For respondent Franks: Mark T. Waggoner, Birmingham, Ala. |
| Jun 19 2014 | Adjudged to be AFFIRMED IN PART, REVERSED IN PART, and case REMANDED. Sotomayor, J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court. Thomas, J., filed a concurring opinion, in which Scalia and Alito, JJ., joined. |
| Jul 21 2014 | JUDGMENT ISSUED |
During today's oral arguments over Biden vaccine policies, Sonia Sotomayor will participate from her chambers remotely, and two of the six lawyers will argue by telephone, a court spokesperson says.
Today at SCOTUS: The court hears arguments on two major Biden administration vaccine policies as a surge in COVID cases sweeps America. The policies at stake: a vaccine-or-test requirement for workers at large employers, and a vaccine mandate for workers at health care centers.
New from SCOTUS: A spokeswoman for the court says that all nine justices have received their COVID-19 booster shots.
The frosty scene at 1 First Street. Happy snow day from SCOTUSblog.
(Video by @katieleebarlow.)
As 2021 comes to a close, we remember some of the people who died this year after living lives that left indelible imprints on the Supreme Court, its justices, or its jurisprudence. Here's our piece from @jamesromoser:

The lives they lived and the court they shaped: Remembering those we lost in 2021 - SCOTUSblog
The first Black woman to clerk on the Supreme Court. Two trailblazing civil-rights litigators. The unofficial barber ...
www.scotusblog.com
In his 2021 year-end report, Chief Justice John Roberts argued that, amid growing calls for reforms to the federal judiciary, changes should come from within the court system itself -- not from Congress.
The report: https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/year-end/2021year-endreport.pdf
Our story: https://www.scotusblog.com/2021/12/roberts-to-congress-on-court-reforms-were-on-it/