Today in Supreme Court History: November 4

District of Columbia v. Eslin, 183 U.S. 62 (decided November 4, 1901): judgment by contractor against the District of Columbia’s Board of Public Works is uncollectable because filed in court which no longer had jurisdiction, even though judgment and notice of appeal were filed before statute eliminating jurisdiction was enacted (repeal statute had explicitly vacated all existing proceedings) (sounds to me like the statute violated Due Process)

Stanton v. Sims, 571 U.S. 3 (decided November 4, 2013): police officer enjoyed qualified immunity from §1983 suit brought by woman whose front gate was kicked down while he was in warrantless “hot pursuit” of suspect (this kind of thing actually happened to a friend of mine, in the early 1990’s; my research skills, rudimentary at that point, led me to believe that her case fell within a “de minimus” exception, even though to her that ruined front door was pretty expensive)

INS v. Orlando Ventura, 537 U.S. 12 (decided November 4, 2002): Circuit Court can’t decide fact issues de novo (here, as to Government’s “changed conditions” argument that Guatemala was now safer and political asylum no longer merited); should have remanded back to Board of Immigration Appeals