Separation of Powers
Baylor v. U.S. (2008)
Whether the Hobbs Act, which allows for federal prosecution of extortion and robbery that impedes the flow of interstate commerce, has been used unconstitutionally to prosecute extremely minor crimes that have a minuscule effect on interstate commerce.
American Electric Power Company, Inc. v. Connecticut (2011)
Whether fossil-fuel fired power plants can be subjected to lawsuits to cure the "public nuisance of global warming."
Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (2004)
Whether the president can indefinitely detain a United States citizen captured overseas as an enemy combatant and hold him without access to judicial due process.
Bond v. United States (2014)
On the question of justiciability, whether a person indicted for violating a federal statute has standing to challenge the law on grounds that Congress exceeded its powers under the Constitution, intruding upon the sovereignty and authority of the states in violation of the 10th Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled on this issue in the first Bond case in 2011.On the question of the merits of the case, whether a federal statute, enacted by Congress to implement an international treaty, can be used to charge American citizens with what otherwise would be purely local crimes. In other words, whether the president, in exercising his power to make treaties with the consent of the Senate, can increase Congresss enumerated powers to legislate on domestic matters. The Court ruled on this issue in the second Bond case in 2014.
