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US v. Montgomery
The court ruled the government failed to prove Kevin Montgomery was sexually dangerous. His cocaine use disorder was not a serious mental illness justifying civil commitment.
Moore v. Texas
The Supreme Court ruled Texas violated the 8th Amendment by using outdated medical standards for intellectual disability in death penalty cases, rejecting current diagnostic criteria.
Covington v. State
The court upheld Edward Covington's death sentences for murder. His claims of bipolar disorder and cocaine abuse were rejected, as voluntary drug use diminished mitigation.
Commonwealth v. Henry
The SJC ruled judges must consider a defendant's ability to pay restitution and cannot extend probation due to poverty. This reasoning has been used to challenge mandatory abstinence conditions.
Marshall v. Eyecare Specialties, P.C. of Lincoln
The Nebraska Supreme Court found alcoholism can be a disability under state law. However, the employee's firing was upheld, as it was due to performance, not her addiction.
Pollard v. Drummond
The court found that firing a coal miner for prescribed methadone use, without assessing his individual risk, might be disability discrimination. This raised questions about whether he posed a direct threat.
McFadden v. United States
The Supreme Court ruled the government must prove a defendant knew a substance was controlled to prosecute under the Analogue Act.
Cannabis Action Coalition v. City of Kent
The court affirmed Kent's ban on medical cannabis collective gardens, holding that state zoning law does not preempt municipal authority to regulate them.
US v. Kamper
The Sixth Circuit ruled that drug addiction alone does not justify a lighter sentence for child pornography distribution. The court found addiction insufficient grounds for a downward variance.
Kosilek v. Spencer
The court ruled a serious medical need can be a future harm risk, but found no indifference as staff reasonably offered alternative care.
Alvarado v. Westchester County
The court partly upheld claims from Westchester inmates alleging forced cold-turkey heroin withdrawal without medication violated their rights. Claims against Smithson and the Monell claim can proceed.
Lebron v. Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families
The court blocked Florida's law requiring suspicionless drug tests for welfare applicants. It found no special need to justify invading privacy without cause.
De'lonta v. Johnson
The court found a transgender inmate could sue prison officials for denying gender-affirming surgery evaluation. Officials ignored medical standards despite a serious self-harm risk.
People v. Davis
The court upheld a conviction for MDMA possession and sale. It used scientific treatises to classify the substance, even without expert testimony.
Florida v. Harris
The Supreme Court ruled a reliable alert from a certified drug-sniffing dog creates probable cause for a search. This upholds such searches under the Fourth Amendment.