Supreme Court of the United States, 1996

Justice Breyer, joined by Justices Stevens, O'Connor, Souter, and Ginsburg, held that courts may not dismiss a first federal habeas petition for generalized equitable reasons outside governing statutes, Habeas Corpus Rules, and settled precedents.

The Court unanimously held that a conspiracy under 21 U.S.C. § 846 is a lesser included offense of conducting a continuing criminal enterprise under § 848 when both charges rest on the same agreement.

Chief Justice Rehnquist, joined by Justices O'Connor, Scalia, Kennedy, and Thomas, held that Congress unmistakably intended the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to abrogate state sovereign immunity but lacked authority under the Indian Commerce Clause to do so. The Court overruled Pennsylvania v.

Justice Breyer delivered the unanimous opinion holding that 12 U. S. C. § 92 preempts Florida's prohibition on insurance sales by affiliated national banks operating in small towns.

The Court, in an opinion by Justice Breyer joined by Chief Justice Rehnquist and Justices Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, and Ginsburg, affirmed the judgment for the beneficiaries. Varity acted as an ERISA fiduciary when it deliberately misled employees about the security of their benefits to induce transfers to a…

Justice O’Connor delivered the unanimous opinion holding that RCRA’s citizen-suit provision does not authorize recovery of costs incurred in a past cleanup and requires an allegation that the contamination presents an imminent and substantial endangerment when suit is filed.

The Court, in an opinion by Chief Justice Rehnquist joined by Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Souter, Thomas, and Ginsburg, affirmed the Federal Circuit on different grounds. The manufacturers could not recover their Agent Orange litigation expenses and settlement payments through an implied warranty of Government…

The Supreme Court held that a federal court must give full faith and credit, under 28 U.S.C. Sec. 1738, to a Delaware Court of Chancery judgment approving a class-action settlement that globally released claims - including Exchange Act claims - lying within the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal courts: Sec.

The Court, in an opinion by Justice Thomas joined by Chief Justice Rehnquist and Justices O'Connor, Scalia, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg, and Breyer, held that federal courts lack ancillary jurisdiction over a new lawsuit seeking to impose an existing federal money judgment on a person not already liable for it.

The Supreme Court held that when a taxpayer has not filed a return before the IRS mails a notice of deficiency, the two‑year look‑back period in 26 U.S.C. § 6512(b)(3)(B) applies, so the Tax Court lacked jurisdiction to award a refund of taxes paid earlier; the Court reversed the Fourth Circuit and the Tax Court…

The Court, in an opinion by Justice O'Connor, held that the two-year look-back period under 26 U. S. C. § 6512(b)(3)(B) applies when a taxpayer has not filed a return before the Commissioner mails a notice of deficiency.

Justice Ginsburg delivered the unanimous opinion affirming the Third Circuit. The Court held that an interlocutory appeal under 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b) permits review of any issue fairly included within the certified order, not merely the question identified by the district court.