Unless otherwise noted, the losing party in each of these cases appealed to the Supreme Court. Which case would the Supreme Court MOST LIKELY choose to hear?

Question

A.

Case 1: Case 1 is made up of many merged cases about the denial of Fourteenth Amendment protections to a minority group of citizens. All plaintiffs were successful at first. On appeal, one US Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the decision, while another affirmed it.
B.

Case 2: Case 2 concerns enforcement of a new state law. Plaintiffs asserted that the law violated the state constitution. The case was appealed several times and was heard by the state supreme court, which held that the law did not violate the state constitution.
C.

Case 3: Case 3 is a criminal case in which a defendant claimed that the trial court made an error by allowing evidence collected by officers who went beyond the scope of their warrant. On appeal, the district court agreed that the defendant’s Fourth Amendment rights were violated and ordered a retrial.
D.

Case 4: Case 4 concerns a controversial state law that is set to go into effect soon. Opponents argue that it violates the Constitution and want the courts to stop it to protect the people from harm. No lower courts have heard this case yet.

Answer 1

The Supreme Court would MOST LIKELY choose to hear Case 1.

Here are the reasons why:

• Case 1 involves the Fourteenth Amendment and has resulted in conflicting decisions from different US Circuit Courts of Appeals. This presents a significant legal question that may affect rights and protections for a minority group, and the Supreme Court often takes cases where there are differing interpretations of federal law among circuit courts to provide clarity and uniformity.

• Case 2 deals with a state law and its interpretation under the state constitution, which is generally less likely to attract Supreme Court attention unless it has broader implications or conflicts with federal law.

• Case 3 deals with a specific criminal procedure issue related to Fourth Amendment rights. While this could be relevant, the situation involves a lower court's decision on procedural matters that are less likely to have the broad impact the Supreme Court typically looks for.

• Case 4 is at an earlier stage, with no lower court's ruling available yet. The Supreme Court is typically more inclined to review cases that have undergone lower court proceedings to allow for established legal foundations and precedent.

Thus, in light of the importance of uniform interpretation of federal constitutional rights and the existence of conflicting lower court rulings, Case 1 is the most likely candidate for the Supreme Court to hear.