Portal:United States District Courts
This index lists case decisions published by the United States district courts. See also the category United States District Court decisions and List of United States district court cases on Wikipedia. To browse by author see category US District Court Justices.
Active Districts
[edit]This table lists cases decided by the modern district courts of the United States.
| District | Year | Case | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern District of Arkansas | 1944 | Morris v. Williams, 59 F. Supp. 508 (E.D. Ark. 1944) | Plaintiff schoolteacher alleged that Little Rock school district discriminated against black teachers by paying them less than white teachers; district court denied relief after finding plaintiff did not show discrimination on the basis of race. rev'd, 149 F.2d 703 (8th Cir. 1945) |
| Eastern District of Arkansas | 1959 | Shelton v. McKinley, 174 F. Supp. 351 (E.D. Ark. 1959) | rev'd, Shelton v. Tucker, 364 U.S. 479 (1960) |
| Eastern District of Arkansas | 1965 | Yancey v. Faubus, 238 F. Supp. 290 (E.D. Ark. 1965) | Amendment 45 to Arkansas Constitution held unconstitutional under U.S. Supreme Court's case law about reapportionment |
| Eastern District of Arkansas | 1965 | Talley v. Stephens, 247 F. Supp. 683 (E.D. Ark. 1965) | Complaints by Arkansas inmates about corporal punishment, among other policies |
| Eastern District of Arkansas | 1967 | Jackson v. Bishop, 268 F. Supp. 804 (E.D. Ark. 1967) | Corporal punishment of prison inmates was not always cruel and unusual punishment. vacated, 404 F.2d 571 (8th Cir. 1968) |
| Eastern District of Arkansas | 1969 | Holt v. Sarver, 300 F. Supp. 825 (E.D. Ark. 1969) | (Holt I) Complaints about use of solitary confinement in Arkansas prisons |
| Eastern District of Arkansas | 1970 | Holt v. Sarver, 309 F. Supp. 362 (E.D. Ark. 1970) | (Holt II) Conditions in Arkansas penitentiary were so deplorable that they were cruel and unusual punishment. aff'd, 442 F.2d 304 (8th Cir. 1971), on remand sub nom. Holt v. Hutto, 363 F. Supp. 194 (E.D. Ark. 1973) (Holt III), rev'd sub nom. Finney v. Arkansas Board of Correction, 505 F.2d 194 (8th Cir. 1974), on remand sub nom. Finney v. Hutto, 410 F. Supp. 251 (E.D. Ark. 1976), aff'd, 548 F.2d 740 (8th Cir. 1977), aff'd, 437 U.S. 678 (1978). |
| Eastern District of Arkansas | 1971 | Holt v. Hutto, 363 F. Supp. 194 (E.D. Ark. 1973) | (Holt III) |
| Eastern District of Arkansas | 1976 | Finney v. Hutto, 410 F. Supp. 251 (E.D. Ark. 1976) | See Holt v. Sarver |
| Eastern District of Arkansas | 1977 | Simpson v. Weeks, 530 F. Supp. 196 (E.D. Ark. 1977) | Police chief illegally punished subordinate after wrongly concluding that subordinate had given information to opposing counsel in pending lawsuit against police department. aff'd in part and rev'd in part, 570 F.2d 240 (8th Cir. 1978) |
| Eastern District of Arkansas | 1978 | United States v. Griffin, 462 F. Supp. 928 (E.D. Ark. 1978) | Denying plea agreement between government and criminal defendant. Eisele, C.J., explains why he refuses to accept plea agreements in criminal cases |
| Eastern District of Arkansas | 1982 | McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education, 529 F. Supp. 1255 (E.D. Ark. 1982) | Enjoining enforcement of state law that required schools to teach creation science alongside evolution |
| Eastern District of Arkansas | 1984 | Phillips v. Weeks, 586 F. Supp. 241 (E.D. Ark. 1984) | Attorney fee award in class action alleging racial discrimination by Little Rock police |
| Eastern District of Arkansas | 1998 | Paula Jones v. William Clinton | Judge Susan Webber Wright's ruling dismissing all three counts in Paula Jones' sexual harassment and employment discrimination lawsuit against President Bill Clinton, saying there were no "genuine issues" worthy of a trial |
| Western District of Arkansas | 1987 | Norwood v. Soldier of Fortune Magazine, 651 F. Supp. 1397 (W.D. Ark. 1987) | First Amendment did not give magazine an absolute privilege to publish classified ad by "gun for hire", where a reader had hired ad's author to assassinate plaintiff |
| Western District of Arkansas | 1991 | Mitchell v. Globe International Publishing, Inc., 773 F. Supp. 1235 (W.D. Ark. 1991) | Denying tabloid's motion for summary judgment in defamation case. subsequent op. sub nom. Peoples Bank & Trust Company of Mountain Home v. Globe International, Inc., 786 F. Supp. 791 (W.D. Ark.) (denying publisher's motions for posttrial relief, including remittitur), aff'd in part and rev'd in part sub nom. Peoples Bank & Trust Company of Mountain Home v. Globe International Publishing, Inc., 978 F.2d 1065 (8th Cir. 1992) (ordering remittitur but otherwise affirming judgment), on remand sub nom. Mitchell v. Globe International Publishing, Inc., 817 F. Supp. 72 (W.D. Ark. 1993) (granting remittitur) |
| Western District of Arkansas | 1991 | Peoples Bank & Trust Company of Mountain Home v. Globe International, Inc., 786 F. Supp. 791 (W.D. Ark. 1991) | Denying publisher's motions for posttrial relief, including remittitur. aff'd in part and rev'd in part sub nom. Peoples Bank & Trust Company of Mountain Home v. Globe International Publishing, Inc., 978 F.2d 1065 (8th Cir. 1992) (ordering remittitur but otherwise affirming judgment), on remand sub nom. Mitchell v. Globe International Publishing, Inc., 817 F. Supp. 72 (W.D. Ark. 1993) (granting remittitur) |
| Western District of Arkansas | 1993 | Mitchell v. Globe International Publishing, Inc., 817 F. Supp. 72 (W.D. Ark. 1993) | Granting remittitur |
| Central District of California | 2008 | Association of Christian Schools International v. Roman Sterns, 678 F. Supp. 2d 980 (C.D. Cal. 2008) | Defendant's rejection of plaintiffs' courses as collegiate preparatory instruction was not religious discrimination |
| Northern District of California | 1995 | Religious Technology Center v. Netcom On-Line Communication Services, Inc., 907 F. Supp. 1361 (N.D. Cal. 1995) | Internet access provider for a Bulletin Board System operator not directly or vicariously liable for copyright infringement committed by subscriber to the BBS. |
| Northern District of California | 2004 | Sharper Image Corporation v. Consumers Union of United States, No. 03-4094 MMC (N.D. Cal. 2004) | Dismissing Sharper Image's suit against CU for making false and damaging statements about their Ionic Breeze air cleaner |
| Northern District of California | 2008 | John Doe v. Uri Geller, No. 07-2478 VRW (N.D. Cal. 2008) | Dismissing plaintiff's claim of DMCA relief over the court's lack of jurisdiction over British defendant |
| District of Columbia | 2004 | Order finding Matthew Cooper and Time Inc. in civil contempt of court, No. 04-296 TFH (D.D.C. 2004) | Order issued over Cooper not providing the name of his source in the "Plame Case" |
| District of Columbia | 2005 | Government's Memorandum in Opposition to Matthew Cooper's Memorandum Regarding the Contempt Sanctions, No. 04-MS-461 (D.D.C. 2005) | Denying Cooper’s request for supervised home confinement rather than federal prison for contempt of court in not providing the name of his source in the "Plame Case" |
| District of Columbia | 2005 | USDOJ OSC Federal indictment of Lewis Libby, No. 00-394 RBW (D.D.C. 2005) | Grand jury indictment of Lewis "Scooter" Libby in "Plame Case" investigation by Patrick Fitzgerald |
| District of Columbia | 2023 | United States of America v. Donald J. Trump | Grand jury indictment of Donald J. Trump in regard to his attempt to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election and his involvement in the January 6 Capitol attack |
| District of Columbia | 2024 | United States v. Google | A federal antitrust case, accusing Google of illegally monopolizing the advertising technology (adtech) market in violation of sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. |
| District of Columbia | 2024 | United States of America v. Donald J. Trump | A government motion to provide the framework for conducting the immunity analysis required by the Supreme Court’s remand order. Trump, 144 S. Ct. at 2340. The supreme court held that presidents are immune from prosecution for certain official conduct, and remanded to this Court to determine whether the remaining allegations against the defendant are immunized. |
| Northern District of Florida | 2002 | Kent E. Hovind, et al. v. Scott M. Schneider et al, No. 02-297 MCR (N.D. Fla. 2002) | Dismissal of plaintiff's lawsuit against IRS agents for harassment and trespassing |
| Northern District of Florida | 2006 | United States of America v Kent Hovind and Jo Hovind | Charges that Hovind was to forfeit $430,400 and faces a maximum of 288 years in prison. |
| Southern District of Florida | 2023 | United States of America v. Donald J. Trump and Waltine Nauta | Charges that Trump unlawfully retained classified documents at The Mar-a-Lago Club after his presidency and refused to return them. |
| Northern District of Georgia | 1964 | Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States, 231 F. Supp. 393 (N.D. Ga. 1964) | aff'd, 379 U.S. 241 (1964) |
| Northern District of Illinois | 2005 | In re African-American Slave Descendants Litigation, 375 F. Supp. 2d 721 (N.D. Ill. 2005) | Dismissing lawsuits seeking reparations from numerous corporations for their alleged complicity in slavery. aff'd in part and rev'd in part, 471 F.3d 754 (7th Cir. 2006). |
| Eastern District of Michigan | 1989 | Doe v. University of Michigan, 721 F. Supp. 852 (E.D. Mich. 1989) | The University of Michigan's 1988 hate speech law violated the constitutional right to free speech |
| Eastern District of Michigan | 2006 | ACLU v. NSA, 438 F. Supp. 2d 754 (E.D. Mich 2006) | The NSA surveillance program, specifically involving "international telephone and internet communications of numerous persons and organizations" within the United States of America, is unconstitutional and illegal, and ordered to be halted immediately |
| Western District of Michigan | 1990 | I Am The Beast SSSOTLOHIEFMJN v. Michigan State Police | |
| District of Minnesota | 2003 | United States of America v. Mohammed Abdullah Warsame | |
| District of Nevada | 2006 | Field v. Google, Inc., 412 F. Supp. 2d 1106 (D. Nev. 2006) | Defendant did not infringe upon plaintiff's exclusive right to reproduce his copyrighted works when defendant cached plaintiff's website and made a copy of it available on its search engine |
| Northern District of New York | 1873 | U.S. vs. Susan B. Anthony, Record of Conviction, June 28, 1873 | |
| Southern District of New York | 1913 | Valvoline Oil Co. v. Havoline Oil Co., 211 F. Rep. 189 (S.D.N.Y. 1913) | Defendant's use of the name Havoline did not infringe upon plaintiff's trademark of the name Valvoline |
| Southern District of New York | 2000 | Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Reimerdes, 111 F. Supp. 2d 294 (S.D.N.Y. 2000) | Defendants' distribution of DeCSS decryption software, specifically targeting copyright protection on plaintiff's DVD software, violated the DMCA. aff'd, Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Corley, 273 F.3d 429 (2d Cir. 2001) |
| Southern District of New York | 2001 | United States of America v. Usama bin Laden | Charging those responsible for the w:1998 United States embassy bombings |
| Southern District of New York | 2007 | 20th Century Fox Film Corp. v. Cablevision Systems Corp., 478 F. Supp. 2d 607 (S.D.N.Y. 2007) | Defendants' remote video storage system infringed upon plaintiffs' copyright. rev'd, Cartoon Network, LP v. CSC Holdings, Inc. 536 F.3d 121 (2d Cir. 2008) |
| Southern District of New York | 2024 | United States v. Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva | Defendants were charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act and committing money laundering, as part of one of Russia Today's "covert projects" to promote U.S. domestic divisions, through a Tennessee-based online content creation company. |
| Middle District of North Carolina | 1998 | Flue-cured Tobacco Cooperative Stabilization Corporation v. United States EPA and Carol Browner | Defendants exceeded their authority under the Radon Research Act by finding second-hand smoke to be a carcinogen. rev'd, 313 F.3d 852 (4th Cir. 2002) |
| District of Oregon | 1963 | Renken v. Harvey Aluminum Inc., 226 F. Supp. 169 (D. Or. 1963) | Defendant must install additional pollution-prevention measures to prevent plaintiff's crops from being exposed to harmful amounts of fluoride waste from defendant's refinery |
| District of Oregon | 1985 | Byron v. Rajneesh Foundation International, 634 F.Supp. 489 (D. Oregon 1985) | Money transferred to defendant by plaintiff was a loan, not donation, and was invalidated by defendant's use of funds for purposes other than those agreed upon; defendant owed $1 million in punitive damages to plaintiff, but did not owe prejudgement interest |
| Middle District of Pennsylvania | 2005 | Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, 400 F. Supp. 2d 707 (M.D. Pa. 2005) | School district's "intelligent design" policy held to violate the Establishment Clause |
| Middle District of Pennsylvania | 1895 | Legal Correspondence Regarding Mr. Wadsworth's Arrest | Discussion of whether police have a right to detain or arrest a citizen unless a warrant is in their possession |
| Middle District of Pennsylvania | 2007 | Michael Reynolds indictment | Defendant charged with conspiracy to commit terrorism after making home-made grenades, discussing on the internet plans to destroy oil pipelines with an undercover judge he believed to be an Al-Qaeda agent, and attempting to collect $40,000 to carry out said plans |
| Western District of Pennsylvania | 1971 | United States ex rel. Gerald Mayo v. Satan and His Staff 54 F.R.D. 282 (W.D. Pa. 1971) | Dismissal of lawsuit against the Devil over wrongs committed to plaintiff, as the court has no jurisdiction over Hell, nor was defendant's address provided by the plaintiff |
| Northern District of Texas | 1981 | Wilson v. Southwest Airlines Co., 517 F. Supp. 292 (N.D. Tex. 1981) | Defendant's refusal to hire male flight attendants such as plaintiff, in favor of exclusively female flight attendants, counts as prohibited discrimination under the Civil Rights act |
| Northern District of Texas | 2007 | Live Nation Motor Sports, Inc. v. Davis | Defendant infringed upon plaintiff's copyright by providing streams of plaintiff's live broadcasts without authorization |
| Western District of Texas | 2007 | Doe v. MySpace, Inc., 474 F. Supp. 2d 843 (W.D. Tex. 2007) | Defendant is not liable for sexual assault against plaintiff carried out by a user of plaintiff's website |
| District of Utah | 2000 | Intellectual Reserve v. Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 75 F. Supp. 2d 1290 (D. Utah 2000) | Defendant is liable for copyright infringement for continuous attempts to induce others to infringe upon plaintiff's copyright, but not for merely posting links to infringing websites |
| District of Utah | 2000 | Intellectual Reserve v. Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 75 F. Supp. 2d 1290 (D. Utah 2000) | Defendant is liable for copyright infringement for continuous attempts to induce others to infringe upon plaintiff's copyright, but not for merely posting links to infringing websites |
| District of Utah | 2007 | The SCO Group, Inc. v. Novell, Inc. | Defendant owns the copyrights to Unix, and plaintiff violated several business agreements with defendant. aff'd in part and rev'd in part 578 F.3d 1201 (10th Cir. 2009), aff'd 721 F. Supp. 2d 1050 (D. Utah 2010), aff'd 439 F. App'x 688 (10th Cir. 2011) |
| Eastern District of Virginia | 2007 | Estate of William F. Jenkins v. Paramount Pictures Corp., 90 F. Supp. 2d 706 (E.D. Va. 2000) | Defendant's use of the trademark "STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT" as a 1990's film title did not infringe upon any rights of plaintiff's 1940's short story "First Contact" |
| Western District of Wisconsin | 2020 | Shasta McCallum v. Shannon Dewey, 19-cv-415-wmc (W.D. Wis. 2020) | Plaintiff has a fundamental right, protected by the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, to parent N.M.H. Thus, plaintiff could be deprived of that right only if afforded notice and an opportunity to be heard in a meaningful way, which usually requires a hearing. |
Former Districts
[edit]District of Arkansas
[edit]Established June 15, 1836; subdivided March 3, 1851.
- United States v. Ta-wan-ga-ca, Hempst. 304, 28 F. Cas. 18 (D. Ark. 1836) (No. 16,435)
- In the Matter of Keeler, Hempst. 306, 14 F. Cas. 173 (D. Ark. 1843) (No. 7637)
- United States v. Conway, Hempst. 313, 25 F. Cas. 598 (D. Ark. 1843) (No. 14,849)
- United States v. Clarke, Hempst. 315, 25 F. Cas. 454 (D. Ark. 1844) (No. 14,812)
- United States v. Drennen, Hempst. 320, 25 F. Cas. 908 (D. Ark. 1845) (No. 14,992)
- Putnam v. United States, Hempst. 332, 20 F. Cas. 90 (D. Ark. 1846) (No. 11,484)
- Heirs of Bullitt v. United States, Hempst. 333, 4 F. Cas. 654 (D. Ark. 1846) (No. 2128)
- Callender v. United States, Hempst. 334, 4 F. Cas. 1074 (D. Ark. 1846) (No. 2321)
- Vallieré v. United States, Hempst. 335, 28 F. Cas. 929 (D. Ark. 1847) (No. 16,822) (mem.)
- Law v. United States, Hempst. 338, 15 F. Cas. 17 (D. Ark. 1848) (No. 8131) (mem.)
- Winter v. United States, Hempst. 344, 30 F. Cas. 350 (D. Ark. 1848) (No. 17,895)
- De Villemont v. United States, Hempst. 389, 7 F. Cas. 560 (D. Ark. 1848) (No. 3839), aff'd sub nom. Heirs of De Vilemont v. United States, 54 U.S. (12 How.) 261 (1851)
- Glenn v. United States, Hempst. 394, 10 F. Cas. 472 (D. Ark. 1849) (No. 5481), aff'd, 54 U.S. (13 How.) 250 (1852)