Summary: This week the Court granted certiorari to four cases. No oral arguments were heard and no opinions were issued this week. Today, we review three of the four new cases the Supreme Court has agreed to hear: (1) United States v. Alvarez, considers the Stolen Valor Act which makes it a crime to to falsely represent that you have been awarded any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the Armed Forces of the United States and whether the Act is an unconstitutional intrusion upon free speech; (2) Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, is a case by native Nigerians who claim that the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company, a parent company of the Shell Oil companies, committed violations of international law by subjecting their people to murder, torture, looting and other human rights violations and whether whether a corporation, rather than individuals, can be held liable for alleged human rights violations under the Alien Tort Statute; (3) Elgin v. Department of the Treasury concerns the disqualification for employment of four federal government employees for failing to register with the selective service system and whether they may challenge the law under which they were disqualified in a federal district court or must instead pursue the claim before an internal administrative board which likely lacks authority to declare the law unconstitutional; and (4) Mohamad v. Rajoub, is a case brought by the family of an American citizen who was killed in the West Bank of Israel and seeks to hold the Palestinian Authority and the PLO responsible under the Torture Victims Protection Act, which establishes civil liability for individuals who torture or kill. CASES GRANTED CERTIORARI (click on case name to download lower court decision) United States v. Alvarez (9th Circuit) (denial of rehearing) (Bagdasarian) Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum (2nd Circuit) Elgin v. Dep’t of the Treasury (1st Circuit) Mohamad v. Rajoub (DC Circuit)
