Supreme Court Decision Alert - June 19, 2017

Today, the Supreme Court issued two decisions, described below, of interest to the business community.

• Due Process—Specific Personal Jurisdiction
• Trademarks—First Amendment

Due Process—Specific Personal Jurisdiction

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of Cal., No. 16-466

The due process clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments govern whether and when courts may exercise "personal jurisdiction" over a defendant by adjudicating claims against it. A defendant is always subject to personal jurisdiction in its home state, under so-called "general" jurisdiction; when general jurisdiction is unavailable, "specific" jurisdiction allows a court to exercise jurisdiction over a defendant when the defendant's acts within or relating to the forum state create a sufficient connection between the forum, the defendant, and the claim. Today, the Supreme Court held that a court may not exercise specific jurisdiction over the claims of plaintiffs whose