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Messina v. Mazzeo
The court allowed excessive force and medical claims from a man who sued police and jail staff. He alleged excessive force during arrest, denial of kosher food, and deliberate indifference to methadone withdrawal.
Helling v. McKinney
The Supreme Court ruled that prison conditions posing unreasonable future health risks, like secondhand smoke exposure, violate the Eighth Amendment if officials are deliberately indifferent.
State v. Provost
The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in 1992 that psychiatric testimony on intent is inadmissible. Expert evidence on intoxication or mental illness cannot be used to negate criminal intent.
McGuckin v. Smith
The 9th Circuit held that prison officials can violate the Eighth Amendment by showing deliberate indifference to a prisoner's serious medical needs. Courts must allow pro se prisoners a fair chance to amend their claims.
US v. Southern Management Corp.
The court found landlords violated fair housing laws by refusing to rent to recovering drug rehabilitation participants, basing their decision on stereotypes rather than individual merit.
United States v. Forbes
A Colorado court found the Analogue Act too vague for some synthetic drugs in 1992. This ruling challenged law enforcement's standards for similar substances.
Riggins v. Nevada
The Court ruled that forcibly medicating a defendant to make them competent for trial, without considering other options, violated their due process rights.
Harris v. Thigpen
The court found Alabama's HIV segregation did not violate rights. Substandard medical care needs systemic deliberate indifference to breach Eighth Amendment standards.
Wilson v. Seiter
The Supreme Court ruled that prison officials must show "deliberate indifference" to inmates' needs, not just negligence, for an Eighth Amendment violation regarding prison conditions.
People v. Silver
The court ruled expert testimony on marijuana's psychological effects was admissible in a murder trial. This supported a diminished capacity defense.
US v. Raymer
The court upheld a drug conspiracy conviction, ruling that evidence of drug addiction did not negate proof of the defendant's knowing involvement in the drug distribution scheme.
Touby v. United States
The Supreme Court upheld the Attorney General's power to temporarily schedule new drugs under the CSA to prevent imminent hazards. This decision allows scheduling without immediate judicial review.
Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics v. DEA
The D.C. Circuit Court sent back the DEA's denial to reclassify marijuana. The court found the DEA's reasoning "logically impossible" and requested clearer justification for its decision.
US v. Piaget
The Fifth Circuit upheld a conviction, ruling that drug addiction is not a defense to knowing participation in a drug distribution conspiracy.
McDermott v. Bender
The court ruled a father's self-inflicted heroin addiction did not excuse his failure to pay child support or reduce his obligations.