Supreme Court of the United States, 1976

The Court held that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act did not authorize review of New Orleans's preexisting at-large council seats because the challenged ordinance did not change them.

The Court held that an order preventing a criminal defendant from consulting his attorney during a 17‑hour overnight recess violates the Sixth Amendment right to assistance of counsel, and therefore reversed the Court of Appeals and remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

The Court held that the McCarran Amendment did not repeal or diminish federal district-court jurisdiction over the United States' water-rights suit, and that the Amendment permitted state-court adjudication of federal reserved rights, including rights held for Indian tribes.

The Court held that the police chiefs' publication of a flyer labeling Davis an "Active Shoplifter," without more, did not deprive him of a liberty or property interest protected by the Fourteenth Amendment and therefore did not support relief under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

The Court held that a state prosecutor is absolutely immune from damages liability under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for actions taken in initiating a prosecution and presenting the State's case, including alleged use of false testimony and suppression of evidence, when those actions are intimately associated with the judicial…

The Court held that the Court of Claims lacked jurisdiction over respondents' claims for retroactive reclassification and backpay because neither the Classification Act nor the Back Pay Act creates a substantive right to money damages for alleged misclassification.

The Supreme Court reversed the Fourth Circuit and held that the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment does not require an evidentiary hearing before Social Security disability benefits are terminated: applying a newly articulated three-factor balance of the private interest affected, the risk of erroneous…

The Court held that contribution limits and disclosure requirements in the Federal Election Campaign Act were generally constitutional, but invalidated limits on independent expenditures, candidates' personal expenditures, and overall campaign expenditures because they directly restricted protected political…

The Court reversed an injunction requiring Philadelphia officials to overhaul police disciplinary and complaint procedures. It held that the record did not establish the necessary case or controversy, a sufficient causal connection between the named officials and constitutional violations by individual officers, or a…

The Court held that the Federal Magistrates Act permits a district court to refer Social Security benefit cases to a magistrate for preliminary review of the administrative record and preparation of a recommended decision on substantial-evidence support.

The Supreme Court reversed the lower courts, holding that United is liable for three $2,000 forfeitures—one for each shipment that caused false claims—and that double damages must be calculated by doubling the Government’s actual loss before any offsets, then remanding for further proceedings.

The Supreme Court reversed and remanded the case, holding that a subcontractor is liable for three $2,000 forfeitures – one for each separately invoiced shipment that caused false claims – and that double damages must be calculated by doubling the Government's actual loss before any compensatory payments are deducted.