Ky.gov

Amicus Briefs

​​​​Since taking office in December 2019, Attorney General Cameron’s office has filed over 25 amicus briefs and has joined dozens more written by other state attorneys general. These amicus briefs have been filed in the United States Supreme Court, nearly every federal appellate court in the country, and the Supreme Court of Kentucky. 

A sample of the amicus briefs that Attorney General Cameron’s office has filed or joined is listed below.


Document Search

  • Court
    Case
    Description
    Date Filed
    Topic
  • Kentucky Supreme Court
    Stivers v. Beshear [pdf, 1MB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief arguing that members of the legislature should be protected by legislative immunity when they are sued simply for passing legislation.
    5/02/22
    Legislative Immunity
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
    Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. Attorney General Alan Wilson and Governor Henry McMaster [pdf, 245KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined 21-state amicus brief to support South Carolina’s ultrasound law against a challenge by Planned Parenthood. Kentucky has a similar law that federal courts upheld in 2019.
    3/15/22
    Abortion
  • Kentucky Supreme Court
    King v. Beverage Warehouse LLC [pdf, 3MB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief arguing that state and local officials should be able to take an interlocutory appeal to protect their official immunity from legal action.
    1/05/22
    Official Immunity
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
    Resurrection School v. Elizabeth Hertel [pdf, 344KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief on behalf of three states opposing a panel decision that refused to apply strict scrutiny to COVID-19 restrictions that treated religious schools less favorably than comparable businesses.
    12/27/21
    Religious Freedom
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    West Virginia v. EPA [pdf, 178KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief to support the efforts of West Virginia and several other states in opposing the EPA’s attempt to eliminate the coal industry through the adoption of unlawful environmental regulations.
    12/20/21
    Federal Overreach
  • Kentucky Court of Appeals
    Conn v. Kentucky Parole Board [pdf, 3MB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief to support the Kentucky Parole Board’s ability to order an inmate serving a life sentence to serve-out the rest of that sentence.
    12/03/21
    Criminal Law
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Shurtleff v. City of Boston [pdf, 199KB]
    Attorney General Cameron led a 12- state amicus brief before the U.S. Supreme Court supporting a religious group’s First Amendment right to raise a Christian flag in a public forum.
    11/22/21
    First Amendment
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Doe v. Facebook [pdf, 301KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined a 25-state amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to clarify the scope of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in a lawsuit by a plaintiff who alleges she was trafficked through Facebook’s online platform.
    10/27/21
    Statutory Interpretation
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    KENNEDY v. BREMERTON SCHOOL DISTRICT [pdf, 216KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined a 24-state amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit ruling and allow a high school coach to pray silently on a football field.
    10/18/21
    Religious Freedom
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
    In Re Apple Inc. Device Performance Litigation [pdf, 345KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed a 13-state amicus brief urging the Ninth Circuit to reverse the lower court’s order awarding an excessive and unreasonable amount of attorneys’ fees to class counsel in a consumer class action.
    10/08/21
    Consumer Protection
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
    Resurrection School v. Elizabeth Hertel [pdf, 336KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief on behalf of three states opposing a panel decision that refused to apply strict scrutiny to COVID-19 restrictions that treated religious schools less favorably than comparable businesses.
    9/14/21
    Religious Freedom
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization [pdf, 364KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined a 24-state amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to overrule Roe v. Wade and return the issue of abortion to the states.
    7/29/21
    Abortion
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen [pdf, 307KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined a 26-state amicus brief opposing New York's subjective-issue handgun permit regime as a violation of the Second Amendment.
    7/20/21
    Second Amendment
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
    CTIA - The Wireless Association v. Kentucky 911 Services Board [pdf, 224KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief supporting 2020 House Bill 208, which secures funding for 911-related services.
    6/28/21
    Defending Kentucky Law
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Young v. Hawaii [pdf, 232KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined a 21-state amicus brief opposing Hawaii's law limiting the carrying of firearms outside the home as a violation of the Second Amendment.
    6/24/21
    Second Amendment
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
    Miller v. Bonta [pdf, 140KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined a 22-state amicus brief opposing California's ban of commonly used firearms as a violation of the Second Amendment.
    6/15/21
    Second Amendment
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    West Virginia v. EPA [pdf, 238KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief arguing that the EPA lacks authority to reshape the power sector as it relates to coal.
    6/03/21
    Regulatory Overreach
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, Inc. v. Grewal [pdf, 172KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined a 24-state amicus brief opposing New Jersey's ban of commonly used magazines as a violation of the Second Amendment.
    5/28/21
    Second Amendment
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany v. Lacewell [pdf, 228KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined a 21-state amicus brief opposing New York's abortion-coverage mandate for certain religious groups.
    5/27/21
    Religious Freedom
  • Kentucky Supreme Court
    Beshear v. Goodwood Brewing Co., LLC [pdf, 3MB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief defending Kentucky's law restricting the Governor's emergency powers.
    5/20/21
    Defending Kentucky Law
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Box v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky [pdf, 217KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed a 17-state amicus brief supporting Indiana's law requiring parents to be notified when their child has an abortion without parental consent, so long as notice is not contrary to the best interests of the child.
    5/03/21
    Abortion
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Threat v. Farrell [pdf, 196KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined a 12-state amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to decide whether to use a lodestar cross-check when awarding attorneys' fees in a class-action settlement.
    4/26/21
    Consumer Protection
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
    Hopkins v. Jegley [pdf, 226KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed a 20-state amicus brief supporting Arkansas's prohibition of live-dismemberment abortions.
    4/26/21
    Abortion
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Inc. v. McRaney [pdf, 243KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined a 16-state amicus brief supporting proper application of the church-autonomy doctrine.
    4/21/21
    Religious Freedom
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Slatery v. Bristol Regional Women's Center, P.C. [pdf, 197KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed a 21-state amicus brief supporting Tennessee's waiting-period abortion law.
    4/15/21
    Abortion
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
    Duncan v. Becerra [pdf, 142KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined a 22-state amicus brief opposing California's ban of commonly used magazines as a violation of the Second Amendment.
    4/01/21
    Second Amendment
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Carson ex rel. O.C. v. Makin [pdf, 487KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined an 18-state amicus brief opposing Maine's program excluding religious schools from generally available benefits solely because they are religious schools.
    3/11/21
    Religious Freedom
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
    Bristol Regional Women's Center, P.C. v. Slatery [pdf, 182KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed a 21-state amicus brief supporting Tennessee's waiting-period abortion law and urging the Sixth Circuit to allow en banc rehearing of a motion panel's interim decision.
    3/02/21
    Abortion
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Inc. v. Corlett [pdf, 234KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined a 23-state amicus brief opposing New York's subjective-issue handgun permit regime as a violation of the Second Amendment.
    1/22/21
    Second Amendment
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid [pdf, 365KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined an 11-state amicus brief supporting property rights of agricultural businesses under the Takings Clause.
    1/07/21
    Property
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley v. Sisolak [pdf, 141KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed a 19-state amicus brief opposing Nevada's unequal treatment of houses of worship during the COVID-19 crisis.
    12/10/20
    Religious Freedom
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee [pdf, 294KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined a 20-state amicus brief supporting proper application of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
    12/04/20
    Elections
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of California
    In re: Apple Device Performance Litigation [pdf, 340KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed a 12-state amicus brief urging a decrease in attorneys' fees for class-action counsel.
    11/27/20
    Consumer Protection
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
    Memphis Center for Reproductive Health v. Slatery [pdf, 420KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an 18-state amicus brief supporting Tennessee's anti-discrimination abortion law.
    11/16/20
    Abortion
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
    Ramsek v. Beshear [pdf, 349KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief supporting a preliminary injunction against an executive order prohibiting protests at the state Capitol, which Governor Beshear discriminately enforced.
    10/14/20
    Free Speech
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
    Planned Parenthood of Indiana & Kentucky, Inc. v. Commissioner, Indiana State Department of Health [pdf, 257KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed a 15-state amicus brief supporting Indiana's parental-notice abortion law.
    8/31/20
    Abortion
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization [pdf, 256KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined an 18-state amicus brief defending Mississippi's law prohibiting abortions after 15 weeks.
    7/20/20
    Abortion
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
    Maryville Baptist Church v. Beshear [pdf, 1MB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief supporting a continued injunction against Governor Beshear's mass-gathering ban as applied to religious services.
    7/07/20
    Religious Freedom
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee [pdf, 120KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief on behalf of Secretary of State Michael Adams and two other Secretaries of State urging the Supreme Court to grant certiorari in challenge to Arizona's election laws.
    7/01/20
    Elections
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Fulton v. Philadelphia [pdf, 326KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined a 13-state amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to overrule Employment Division v. Smith and to reverse the judgment.
    6/03/20
    Religious Freedom
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
    Roberts v. Neace [pdf, 361KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief supporting an injunction to halt Governor Beshear's mass-gathering ban that prohibited in-person religious services.
    5/07/20
    Religious Freedom
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
    Maryville Baptist Church v. Beshear [pdf, 1MB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief supporting an injunction to halt Governor Beshear's mass-gathering ban that prohibited religious services.
    5/01/20
    Religious Freedom
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
    On Fire Christian Center, Inc. v. Fischer [pdf, 182KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an amicus brief arguing Governor Beshear's order prohibiting drive-in church services violates the First Amendment and Kentucky law.
    4/17/20
    Religious Freedom
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Living Essentials, LLC v. Washington [pdf, 167KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed a 13-state amicus brief arguing that commercial speech should receive greater protection under the First Amendment.
    3/30/20
    Free Speech
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Montana v. Washington [pdf, 137KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed a 17-state amicus brief supporting Montana's and Wyoming's ability to ship coal in interstate commerce.
    3/24/20
    State Sovereignty
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Arizona v. Martin [pdf, 132KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an11-state amicus brief supporting Arizona's use of "soft transition" jury instructions under the Double Jeopardy Clause.
    2/05/20
    Criminal Law
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Box v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana & Kentucky, Inc. [pdf, 136KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed a 17-state amicus brief supporting Indiana's law requiring parents to be notified when their child has an abortion without parental consent, as long as notice is not contrary to the best interests of the child.
    1/27/20
    Abortion
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
    Preterm-Cleveland v. Himes [pdf, 443KB]
    Attorney General Cameron filed an 18-state amicus brief supporting Ohio's law prohibiting doctors from knowingly performing abortions based on a Down syndrome diagnosis.
    1/21/20
    Abortion
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    Hill v. Whole Woman’s Health Alliance [pdf, 147KB]
    Attorney General Cameron’s brief, which was joined by 16 other states, supports Indiana’s arguement that a federal court cannot require a state to issue a license to an abortion provider.
    1/10/20
    Abortion
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    June Medical Services, L.L.C. v. Dr. Rebekah Gee [pdf, 288KB]
    Attorney General Cameron joined 19 states in arguing that abortion doctors do not have standing to bring a lawsuit for patients and that states must make and enforce the laws and regulations regarding health and safety that govern abortion procedures.
    1/03/20
    Abortion