The U.S. Supreme Court issued three big decisions today:
- In Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. One v. Holder, No. 08-322 (U.S. June 22, 2009), the 8-1 Court ruled that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 allowed a quasi-governmental entity in Canyon Creek, Texas, to "bail out" of the Act's "preclearance" regime.
-
In Forest Grove School District v. T.A., No. 08-305 (U.S. June 22, 2009), the Court split 6-3 in a case under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. A student asked a public school he had attended to pay him back for the cost of his private special education. The Court held that the IDEA doesn't bar such a claim on the ground that the student hadn't previously received special education services under authority of a public agency.
-
In Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, No. 07-984 (U.S. June 22, 2009), another 6-3 case, the Court upheld an Army Corps of Engineers permit that authorized a gold mining company to pump rock slurry into a small lake (and kill all the fish in it).
