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Dred Scott vs. Sandford
Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri. Dred Scott lived in Illinois which was a free state by the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Scott sued saying that because he was living in a free state he was a free man. But Scott's master said that ne negro could be a citizen by Article lll of the Constitution. At this time blacks were seen as property and not people and property can't make a petition. Dred Scoot did loose the cas but it made a major step toward equal rights. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
In 1892 Homer Plessy sat in a whites only train car and refused to get up so he was arrested. He argued that they were denying his rights under the 13th and 14th amendment which stated theat everyone got equal treatment under the law. In May 1896 the court decided against Plessy and said it didn't violate their rights it just states that the law separated the races as a matter of public policy. -
Muller vs. Oregon
Curt Muller was convicted of making a female worker work more than 10 hours in a single day. He was violating Oregon's labor laws. Many people were very happy when the U.S Supreme Court ruled limited hours for women working. However women were not happy about this because they thought it was separating the sexes and weren't treating women equal. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
A suit was made against the Board of Education in Topeka, Kansas by thirteen parent on behalf of their children. They felt that the schools should be unsegregated and on May 17, 1954 the members on the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation of schools is unconstitutional. -
Miranda vs. Arizona
On March 13, 1963 Miranda was arrested based on evidence linking him to a kidnapping and rape. He was then brought in and interrogated for 2 hours. He signed a written confession but didn't know it was going to be used against him in court. When they used it in court his lawyer objected because Miranda said that the confession wasn't truly voluntary. He then went to the Supreme Court where they said his confession couldn't be used as evidence because they failed to inform him of his rights. -
Tinker vs. Des Moines
John Tinker, Mary Beth Tinker, and Christopher Echardt wore black armbands to school to represent peace for the Vietnam war and the school asked them to take the armbands off. They refused to take the armbands off so they were suspended. They thought the school was mistreating the students rights of expressions so they sued the school. -
U.S vs. Nixon
in June 1972, 5 men were arresed in the Democratic National Committee's Office in the Watergate Complex in Washington D.C. They were found with bugging equipment and cameras. The police soon found out the burgalers were connected with President Nixon's campaign. The police then found out he taped all his conversations with his advisors and they asked him to release them and he thought his rights were violated so he took it to the Supreme Court and they made him release all the tapes. He resigned -
New Jersey vs. T.L.O
A teacher at a New Jersey high school caught a student smoking and then told the principal. The principal demanded her to open her purse where he found cigarettes, marijuana, an index card that contained a list of people that owed money to her, and letters that indicated she was dealing drugs. In a delinquent court T.L.O said that her 4th Amendment Rights were violated. In 1985 the Supreme Court ruled that the school used a reasonable standard for searching the students bags. -
Texas vs. Johnson
In 1984 Gregory Lee Johnson burned an American Flag outside the building where the Republican National Convention was held in Dallas,Texas. He was protesting Ronald Reagan's policies and leadership. He was arrested and argued saying that his actions were symbolic speech as shown in the 1st Amendment. The Supreme Court agreed to hearing his case. The Supreme Court rule in favor of Johnson saying that even though it's offensive to some freedom of symbolic speech is protcted by the 1st amendment. -
District of Columbia vs. Heller
Dick Anthony Heller was a D.C special police officer who was authorized to carry a handgun while on duty. The code of the District of Columbia states that it is illegal to carry an unregistered firearm. It also states that police can issue one year licences for firearms. Dick Heller applied for a one year license to keep a firearm at home. His application was denied so he sued them and said his 2nd Amendment was violated. The Supreme Court ruled that he could keep a firearm at home.
