Today in Supreme Court History: November 27

California Reduction Co. v. Sanitary Reduction Works of San Francisco, 199 U.S. 306 (decided November 27, 1905): San Francisco validly under the California Constitution gave corporation exclusive right to dispose of the city’s garbage; dismisses Fourteenth Amendment argument made by citizens and competing corporation (the opinion has long lists of types of garbage, offal, excrement, animal remains; don’t read it while eating)

Correctional Services Corp. v. Malesko, 534 U.S. 61 (decided November 27, 2001): right to sue public officers for Constitutional violations (Bivens) does not extend to right to sue private corporations providing federal governmental functions (here, privately run prison that did not provide disability accommodations for federal prisoner) (this case greatly curtailed “state actor” liability and was a huge boon to the “private prison” industry; 5 – 4 decision)

Perrin v. United States, 444 U.S. 37 (decided November 27, 1979): federal statute prohibiting use of interstate commerce to commit “bribery” included bribery of private individuals (here, paying for stolen geological information useful for oil drilling)