Verdict . News

•Brenda Andrew challenged her death sentence based on prejudicial evidence about her personal life introduced at trial

Supreme Court Rules on Prejudicial Evidence in Oklahoma Death Penalty Case

The Supreme Court decided Andrew v. White on Tuesday, addressing whether the introduction of irrelevant evidence about a defendant's personal life violated federal due process rights in a capital murder case. Brenda Andrew had challenged her death sentence, arguing that evidence about her sex life and extramarital affairs rendered her trial fundamentally unfair.

•The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals denied relief, finding any trial errors were harmless

Regulatory

•Supreme Court decided TikTok Inc. v. Garland on January 17, 2025, after oral arguments on January 10

Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban in National Security Ruling

The Supreme Court decided TikTok Inc. v. Garland on January 17, 2025, addressing the federal law requiring ByteDance to divest from TikTok. The ruling affects more than 170 million U.S. users and centers on national security concerns over Chinese government access to American data.

•Case involves federal law requiring ByteDance to divest from TikTok or face U.S. prohibition

•Federal courts lose supplemental jurisdiction when plaintiffs amend complaints to remove federal claims that enabled removal

Supreme Court Rules on Federal Jurisdiction After Amended Complaints

The Supreme Court ruled in Royal Canin U.S.A., Inc. v. Wullschleger that federal courts lose supplemental jurisdiction over state law claims when plaintiffs amend complaints to remove federal claims that originally enabled removal from state court.

•The ruling resolves a circuit split on whether federal courts can retain jurisdiction over state claims after federal basis disappears

Federal Circuit

•Supreme Court decided case involving Fair Labor Standards Act outside sales exemption and burden of proof standards

Supreme Court Rules on FLSA Outside Sales Exemption Standards

The Supreme Court decided EMD Sales, Inc. v. Carrera on January 15, 2025, addressing the burden of proof standard employers must meet to claim the Fair Labor Standards Act's outside sales exemption for overtime pay. The case involved food distribution sales representatives and whether their employer could avoid paying overtime compensation.

•EMD Sales food distribution company challenged district court's use of clear-and-convincing evidence standard instead of preponderance standard

Federal Circuit

•Supreme Court used rare 'improvidently granted' dismissal procedure after hearing oral arguments

Supreme Court Dismisses Nvidia Securities Case as Improvidently Granted

The Supreme Court dismissed a securities fraud case against Nvidia Corporation on December 11, 2024, using the rare procedural move of declaring certiorari was 'improvidently granted.' The dismissal came nearly a month after oral arguments and leaves unresolved questions about corporate disclosure obligations.

•Case involved securities fraud allegations by Swedish investment fund against Nvidia Corporation

Federal Circuit

•Supreme Court ruled on standards for revoking spousal visa petitions based on prior marriage fraud allegations

Supreme Court Rules on Sham Marriage Bar in Immigration Cases

The Supreme Court issued a decision in *Bouarfa v. Mayorkas* on December 10, 2024, addressing how immigration authorities may revoke previously approved spousal visa petitions based on evidence of prior sham marriages. The case involves a U.S. citizen whose petition for her noncitizen spouse was revoked after USCIS discovered potential marriage fraud in the spouse's immigration history.

•USCIS initially approved Bouarfa's petition but later revoked it after discovering evidence of spouse's potential prior sham marriage

•Supreme Court issued a rare 'dismissed as improvidently granted' ruling in Facebook Inc. v. Amalgamated Bank

Supreme Court Dismisses Facebook Case as 'Improvidently Granted'

The Supreme Court dismissed Facebook Inc.'s petition against Amalgamated Bank on Nov. 22, 2024, ruling the writ of certiorari was 'improvidently granted.' The rare per curiam decision ends the case without addressing the underlying legal issues that prompted the tech giant to seek high court review.

•The case was argued on Nov. 6, 2024, but dismissed just 16 days later without substantive ruling

•Supreme Court vacated Eleventh Circuit decision that had affirmed vacation of Smith's death sentence

Supreme Court Vacates Death Penalty Ruling on IQ Standards

The Supreme Court vacated an Eleventh Circuit decision that had affirmed the vacation of Joseph Clifton Smith's death sentence based on intellectual disability findings. The high court remanded the case for clarification on how courts should evaluate IQ scores when determining intellectual disability in capital cases.

•Case centers on how courts should evaluate IQ scores ranging from 72-78 for intellectual disability claims