Case Updates

Guam Submits Supreme Court Petition

On December 26, Guam filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court.  The appeal was filed by the law firm, Kirkland and Ellis, which offered its services pro-bono.

Guam is appealing the recent Ninth Circuit decision that invalidated its political-status plebiscite law under the Fifteenth Amendment’s prohibition on

Former CIR Plaintiff Rebecca Friedrichs Talks About Case at White House

On Monday December 9, 2019, former Center for Individual Rights plaintiff Rebecca Friedrichs visited the White House for a roundtable discussion on school choice with President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

During her remarks to the President, Friedrichs talked about Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association,

Background: CIR’s Victory in Guam

Guam is an American territory in the western Pacific Ocean. The small island was ceded to the U.S. in 1898, at the close of the Spanish-American War. Since that time, it has become a home to nearly 170,000 people of various ethnic and national back-grounds.

In recent years, left-wing historians have

Newest Issue of CIR’s Docket Report

2019 has been a busy year for CIR.  Whether defending free speech in a welfare office in New York or challenging a racial voting law in Guam, CIR has been fighting for individual rights wherever the Constitution reaches.

You can read about CIR’s work in our most recent Docket Report.

CIR’s Thirtieth Anniversary

In 1989, Michael Greve and Michael McDonald founded the Center for Individual Rights, a new kind of public interest firm that would fight back against the liberal drift in constitutional law.  CIR would bring original cases that took dead aim at threats to individual liberty.  It was a big gamble,

Justice Elena Kagan Extends Guam’s Petition Deadline

In a surprising turn of events, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan has granted Guam an extension to appeal the Ninth Circuit decision, invalidating Guam’s plebiscite law as racially discriminatory.  Guam’s attorney Michael Phillips will now have until December 26 to file a petition.

On November 6, Guam’s governor, Lou Leon Guerrero,

Supreme Court Rejects Guam’s Application for Extension

The Supreme Court has denied Guam’s request for an extension of time to appeal a recent Ninth Circuit decision, invalidating Guam’s racially restrictive plebiscite law.  The law would have restricted the right to vote in a political status plebiscite to “Native Inhabitants of Guam”—a term that the Ninth Circuit recognized

Guam Submits Motion for Extension to File Appeal

On October 28, Guam’s recently hired attorney, Michael Phillips, requested an extension of time to file a petition appealing a recent Ninth Circuit decision, invalidating Guam’s plebiscite law.  The application, filed with Justice Kagan’s office, comes more than a week after the deadline for extension requests.  Accordingly, Guam’s application must

Guam’s Governor Presses Forward with Controversial Appeal

[Update: New counsel for Guam has filed a motion for extension of petition deadline with Justice Kagan’s office 10-28-19]

On October 21, the governor of Guam, Lou Leon Guerrero, announced that she intends to appeal the recent Ninth Circuit decision, which declared Guam’s plebiscite law unconstitutional. The law in question would