(December 7, 2012 at 8:03 pm)Minimalist Wrote: California was the only state where it was legal, then the state passed a constitutional amendment making it illegal and the Court of Appeals ruled the amendment "unconstitutional."
That is a fairly unique tale. They can rule "yes" or "no" on the Appellate decision without impacting any other state.
If the appellant in the case (which I have not looked at yet) is only raising the issue of whether the state constitutional amendment passes muster against the federal constitution, it is extremely likely that the SCOTUS will narrowly tailor the ruling.
In other words, it's unlikely that they're going to answer any questions not directly asked of the court.
However, even if the ruling is narrow in scope, it will serve as precedent for future decisions. So while a win may not provide immediate nationwide relief, it will be a significant step in the right direction.
