Summary: This week the Court issued two opinions and granted certiorari in two new cases. This week we review the following cases: Evans v. Michigan, the Court considers whether the double jeopardy clause applies to a directed verdict wherein the trial court judge erroneously required proof of a fact that did not constitute an element of the offense and granted an acquittal based on a lack of proof of that fact. Elgin v. Dep’t of the Treasury, the Court considered whether the Civil Service Reform Act grants exclusive jurisdiction to the Merit Systems Protection Board to hear constitutional claims by civil service employees even though the Board cannot decide the claims. Amgen Inc. v. Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds, the court considers the requirements for certifying a class action lawsuit against the world's largest biotech company who is alleged to have defrauded investors by artificially inflating the price of its stock by making misstatements about its drugs used to treat anemia. We also review the Court's decision this week to deny review to the remaining Guantanamo Bay detainee cases on its docket. GRANTS OF CERTIORARI (click on case name to download lower court decision) Evans v. Michigan (Supreme Court of Michigan) Amgen Inc. v. Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds (Ninth Circuit) OPINIONS (click to download) Elgin v. Dep’t of the Treasury (11-45) Parker v. Matthews (11-845) GUANTANAMO DETAINEE RIGHTS Boumedine v. Bush (2006)
