Most Unlikely Verdict: Texas Can Reject Confederate License Plates
An unlikely lineup of Supreme Court Justices ruled that Texas is allowed to bar a license plate design featuring the Confederate flag. That group included Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and majority author Stephen Breyer, according to a recent article from CNN.
A Texas group called Sons of Confederate Veterans submitted the design featuring the controversial flag. However, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote that the license plate designs are, in fact, government speech, not private speech, which impacts how they are regulated.
Therefore, the state of Texas is permitted to discriminate based upon content. However, Justice Samuel Alito dissented from the majority and said the messages are not government speech, but in fact, private speech and subject to First Amendment protection. The story notes that the case may impact other groups and license plate designs.
Most Playful Verdict: Marvel wins in Spider-Man Toy Case
SCOTUS ruled the inventor of a Spider Man toy will not be entitled to royalties, citing precedent regarding patent expirations, according to a recent article from NBC.
The 6-3 vote favors Walt Disney Co.'s Marvel Entertainment LLC in its legal fight with Stephen Kimble and Robert Grabb, his associate. Marvel paid $6 million to use the patent of the web-slinging toy, and eventually stopped paying royalties on the toy’s sales based on the 1964 ruling of Brulotte v. Thys Co. Lower courts upheld the initial ruling favoring Marvel prior to the Supreme Court case.
Most Healthy Verdict: Obamacare Provision Upheld by State’s Highest Court
In yet another Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, the Court ruled 6-3 that those living in states that set up individual healthcare marketplaces are not the only residents eligible for tax subsidies, according to a recent article from the Associated Press.
Despite the phrase "established by the state" being included in the law’s language regarding the requirement for the subsidies, the court held in the case, King v. Burwell, that the law is intended to protect those in other states who use the federal marketplace.
"Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them," said Chief Justice John Roberts in the majority opinion. Roberts voted with his liberal colleagues to uphold tax subsidies provided in the law.
Most Popular Verdict: ‘Screech’ Headed to Jail Over Stabbing Incident
Actor Dustin Diamond, who played Screech on the popular television show 'Saved by the Bell' was sentenced to four months in jail for stabbing a man in a Wisconsin bar, according to a recent article form Newsweek.
The incident, which took place on Christmas Day, also included Diamond’s girlfriend, Amanda Schutz, who was found guilty of disorderly conduct for pushing another bar patron. Diamond claimed the stabbing was an accident and apologized to all parties involved during his court hearing. As a result of the incident, he will also be on probation for 15 months.
Most Prideful Verdict: SCOTUS Rules in Favor of Same Sex Marriage
In a 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, justices ruled that the Constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry. In Obergefell v. Hodges, the court federally codified rights that many already had in a number of states on a national level, according to an article in The New York Times.
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion: “No longer may this liberty be denied. No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.” Dissenting opinions came from the conservative justices, with criticisms ranging in tone and content.