While there were many cases that had an impact on the legal landscape, below are four that were particularly important.
United States v. Windsor
In 2007, Edith Windsor married Thea Spyer in Ontario, Canada. Although the same-sex couple lived in New York, same sex marriages were not yet legal in the state, leading the couple to wed outside U.S. borders. Upon her death, Spyer left her estate to Windsor, who sought a federal tax exemption.
However, the Defense of Marriage Act required Windsor pay $363,053, since the U.S. does not recognize same sex marriage. The Supreme Court of the United States disagreed with this requirement in June, creating one of the most substantial rulings dealing with same sex marriage the country had ever seen. The decision, which can be found on the website FindLaw, was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy.
As a result of the case and her efforts to challenge federal law, Windsor was on the shortlist for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year designation, only to be edged out by Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church.
Detroit’s Bankruptcy
United States Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Michigan’s Southern Division declared the City of Detroit as eligible to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 9 of the bankruptcy code. The opinion noted Detroit, as stated by one of the objectors to bankruptcy protection for the city, “by far the largest and most economically significant city ever to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy.”
At the heart of the case was whether Detroit was eligible under the protection of Chapter 9 and whether or not it would be possible for city officials to negotiate with its creditors.
In summary, the opinion reads: “The City of Detroit is a ‘municipality’ as defined in 11 U.S.C. § 101(40). The City was specifically authorized to be a debtor under Chapter 9 by a governmental officer empowered by State law to authorize the City to be a debtor under Chapter 9. The City is ‘insolvent’ as defined in 11 U.S.C. § 101(32)(C). The City desires to [a]ffect a plan to adjust its debts. The City did not negotiate in good faith with creditors but was not required to because such negotiation was impracticable.”
Robert C. Pozen, a nonresident senior fellow of the Brookings Institute said in a report that Detriot had $6.4 billion in other post-employment benefits (OPEB), primarily made of unfunded obligations to pay healthcare costs to municipal employees. Also, the city’s unfunded pension obligations were $3 billion.
Shelby County v. Holder
In this SCOTUS case, it was determined that the formula used to derive the parts of the country that are subject to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, known more commonly as preclearance, was outdated, essentially leaving the law inert until a new formula can be derived.
Section 5 of the law required local governments to get federal approval before making changes in voting laws in order to prevent racial discrimination, like the types of pre-civil-rights laws used to keep black voters out of the booth in the south.
Members of Congress, like U.S. Committee on the Judiciary member Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, a Republican, and the Democrats’ ranking member, Rep. John Conyers, Jr., of Michigan, both expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling and indicated they hoped a legislative remedy could be drawn up.
Many experts speculated political gridlock in D.C. would prevent a new formula from being created, though, basically amounting to what civil rights groups hailed as one of the most important steps to equality in the voting booth being permanently nullified.
State of Florida v. George Zimmerman
An altercation between teenager Trayvon Martin and neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman in a gated Florida community led to a fatal gunshot wound for Martin and an acquittal for Zimmerman in the event’s subsequent murder trial. Although Florida’s Stand Your Ground statue was not formally a part of the proceedings it became a fixture in the realm of legal debate, as were broader gun-control policies and race relations.
In a year that had seen several mass shootings, including one in Washington, D.C., that left more than a dozen dead, gun violence has been a popular topic of legislative debate and policy disagreements. Zimmerman recently made headlines again for an alleged domestic dispute, but according to reports, will not face any charges. Do you have any cases to add to this list? Post them in the comments section.
Dan Sabbatino is an award winning journalist whose accolades include a New York Press Association award for a series of articles he wrote dealing with a small upstate town’s battle over the implications of letting a “big-box” retailer locate within its borders. He has worked as a reporter and editor since 2007 primarily covering state and local politics for a number of Capital Region publications, including The Legislative Gazette.