Shapiro v. McManus

Docket No.	Op. Below	Argument	Opinion	Vote	Author	Term
14-990	4th Cir.	Nov 4, 2015	Dec 8, 2015	9-0	Scalia	OT 2015

Holding: 28 U.S.C. § 2284, which requires that a "district court of three judges shall be convened . . . when an action is filed challenging the constitutionality of the apportionment of congressional districts," and further provides that "the judge [presented with a request for a three-judge court] shall, unless he determines that three judges are not required, immediately notify the chief judge of the circuit, who shall designate two other judges to serve," entitles a group of Maryland residents to make their claim that the state"s 2011 congressional redistricting plan burdens their First Amendment right of political association before a three-judge court.

Judgment: Reversed and remanded, 9-0, in an opinion by Justice Scalia on December 8, 2015.

SCOTUSblog Coverage

Opinion analysis: Removing discretion in convening three-judge district courts (Howard M. Wasserman, December 8, 2015)
Argument analysis: Wow . . . Thats my comment a passive Court and a predictable outcome on three-judge courts (Howard M. Wasserman, November 5, 2015)
Argument preview: Is a three-judge court not required when a pleading fails to state a claim? (Howard M. Wasserman, October 19, 2015)
Petition of the day (Maureen Johnston, March 5, 2015)

Date	Proceedings and Orders (key to color coding)
02/10/2015	Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due March 20, 2015)
03/04/2015	Order extending time to file response to petition to and including April 20, 2015.
03/20/2015	Brief amicus curiae of Judicial Watch, Inc filed.
04/20/2015	Brief of respondents Bobbie S. Mack, et al. in opposition filed.
05/01/2015	Reply of petitioners Stephen M. Shapiro, O. John Beniser, and Maria B. Pycha filed.
05/05/2015	DISTRIBUTED for Conference of May 21, 2015.
05/26/2015	DISTRIBUTED for Conference of May 28, 2015.
06/01/2015	DISTRIBUTED for Conference of June 4, 2015.
06/08/2015	Petition GRANTED.
06/11/2015	Motion to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed by petitioner Stephen M. Shapiro, et al.
06/22/2015	Motion to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed by petitioner GRANTED.
06/22/2015	The time to file the joint appendix and petitioners' brief on the merits is extended to and including August 7, 2015.
06/22/2015	The time to file respondents' brief on the merits is extended to and including September 24, 2015.
07/06/2015	Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the petitioners.
08/05/2015	Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the respondents.
08/07/2015	Brief of petitioners Stephen M. Shapiro, et al. filed.
08/13/2015	Brief amici curiae of Common Cause and The Campaign Legal Center, Inc. filed.
08/14/2015	Brief amicus curiae of Virginia State Conference of the NAACP filed.
08/14/2015	Brief amicus curiae of Judicial Watch, Inc filed.
08/14/2015	Brief amici curiae of Professors Joshua A. Douglas and Michael E. Solimine, Election Law Scholars filed.
09/09/2015	SET FOR ARGUMENT on Wednesday, November 4, 2015
09/10/2015	Record requested from the U.S.C.A. 4th Circuit.
09/18/2015	The time to file respondents' brief on the merits is further extended to and including September 25, 2015.
09/25/2015	Brief of respondents David J. McManus, Jr., Chairman, Maryland State Board of Elections, et al. filed.
10/02/2015	CIRCULATED
10/26/2015	Reply of petitioners Stephen M. Shapiro, et al. filed. (Distributed)
11/04/2015	Argued. For petitioners: Michael B. Kimberly, Washington, D. C. For respondents: Steven M. Sullivan, Assistant Attorney General, Baltimore, Md.
12/08/2015	Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Scalia, J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court.
01/11/2016	JUDGMENT ISSUED