Nancy Williams, et al., Petitioners v. Fitzgerald Washington, Alabama Secretary of Labor

  1. October 07, 2024

    High Court Doubts States Can Police Federal Rights Claims

    The U.S. Supreme Court seemed poised Monday to strike down an Alabama law requiring litigants to exhaust state administrative remedies before they file claims in state court accusing local officials of violating federal rights, with several justices suggesting the court already answered that question almost 40 years ago.

  2. October 04, 2024

    Up First At High Court: Civil Rights, Ghost Guns, Atty Fees

    The U.S. Supreme Court reconvenes Monday to start a brand-new term, with the justices first hearing arguments related to prerequisites for litigating federal rights in state courts, ghost gun regulations, and whether a death row inmate is entitled to a new trial after a state admits that prosecutorial misconduct might have led to his conviction.

  3. April 11, 2024

    State Rules Can't 'Obliterate' Federal Rights, Justices Told

    The U.S. Supreme Court must clarify that states are categorically prohibited from requiring plaintiffs to exhaust local administrative remedies before pursuing claims that state officials violated federal rights, several Alabamians told the court Thursday, warning that state prerequisites obliterate federal rights.

  4. January 12, 2024

    Justices To Decide Federal Rights Exhaustion Rule

    The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to resolve lingering questions over the breadth of its previous rulings prohibiting states from requiring litigants to exhaust state administrative remedies before pursuing federal right violation claims, in a dispute over Alabama's processing of unemployment benefits claims.