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Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad Company v. City of Chicago
Chicago's city government wanted to make a connection over 18th and 19th street. The connection would run through private property and a right of way owned by Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad Company. The land was condemned and private owners were paid fairly, but the railroad company was paid only $1. Using the 5th amendment, SCOTUS ruled in favor of the railroad, saying that $1 was not fair compensation. -
Gitlow v. New York
Benjamin Gitlow was arrested for handing out pamphlets that advocated for the achievement of socialism through strikes, class action, and government overthrow. He argued that his arrest was unconstitutional because no direct action resulted from his pamphlet. However, using the first amendment, SCOTUS sided with the state that his text presented clear and present danger. -
Near v. Minnesota
ruled that a state law allowing prior restraint on newspapers violated the First Amendment's protection of freedom of the press. This landmark case established that the government cannot censor or prohibit publication of information unless it poses a direct and immediate threat to national security. -
DeJonge v. Oregon
The Court held that the state of Oregon violated the First Amendment by convicting a Communist Party member for speaking at a meeting, as it was not a "clear and present danger" to the government. The Court's decision established that the right to free assembly was a fundamental right protected by the First Amendment. -
Cantwell v. Connecticut
Newton Cantwell, a Jehova's witness, and his sons were going door to door in a Catholic neighborhood. They were arrested and charged but appealed. SCOTUS used the first amendment and sided with the Cantwells that his arrest was unconstitutional. -
Everson v. Board of Education of the Township of Ewing
Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a New Jersey law that provided reimbursements to parents who sent their children to school on public buses, including Catholic schools. This decision established the principle of "separation of church and state" as a fundamental doctrine in American jurisprudence. -
In re Oliver
the Court held that a criminal defendant has a constitutional right to be tried by an impartial judge and that the failure to provide such a judge violates due process. The case involved a defendant in Oklahoma who was convicted of murder by a judge who had a personal and financial interest in the outcome of the case. The Supreme Court overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial before an impartial judge. -
Mapp v. Ohio
the Supreme Court ruled that evidence obtained through illegal searches and seizures by state law enforcement officials cannot be used in criminal prosecutions in state courts, extending the exclusionary rule from federal cases to the state level. -
Robinson v. California
the Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to criminalize addiction as a status or disease, as it violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. -
Gideon v. Wainwright
the Supreme Court ruled that the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution requires states to provide an attorney to defendants who cannot afford one in criminal cases.