Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
John Doe v. Second Judicial District Court of Nevada, Washoe County, et al.
Paid petition · Supreme Court of Nevada, No. 89277 · judgment April 9, 2025
Before the decision, modestly above the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for a petition filed soon after the judgment below and counsel who has filed here before.
Question presented
John Doe conducted an anonymous investigation of public figures based on concerns about corruption. Two elected officials, including the Mayor of Reno, the target of the investigation, sought to use litigation to unmask John Doe. The Nevada Supreme Court refused to apply the First Amendment to the investigation, declaring that the speech preparations were “non expressive” and “not subject to First Amendment protection.” The question presented is: Are speech preparatory investigations expressive and subject to First Amendment protection?
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Michael Lee Francisco
First & Fourteenth PLLC
For respondent
Adam Dmitri Hosmer-Henner
McDonald Carano LLP
Case
Subject area
First Amendment (estimated from the questions presented, in the Supreme Court Database’s categories)
Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference
Order
Order list, October 6, 2025 · Certiorari denied
Proceedings
- Oct 06 2025Petition DENIED.
- Jun 25 2025DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/29/2025.
- Jun 16 2025Waiver of right of respondent Real Parties in Interest Hillary Schieve and Vaughn Hartung to respond filed.
- May 19 2025Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due June 23, 2025)