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Talbot v. Janson
*A vessel illegally fitted for the U.S. was captured by U.S. citizens. The vessel was carrying the flag of the French Republic. The vessel captured was brought into Charleston, and proceedings were instituted in the District Court of South Carolina.
*The 11th Ammendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed during this time.
*The Supreme Court held that the jurisdiction of the court extended to the seas and that a citizen of the U.S. could also hold the citizenship of another nation. -
Holingsworth v. Virginia
- The main issue in the case became whether the Eleventh Amendment was valid, not having been presented to the President for approval or veto. *The Alien and Sedition Acts become U.S. law at this time.
- The United States Supreme Court ruled that the President of the United States has no formal role in the process of amending the United States Constitution and that the Eleventh Amendment was binding on cases already pending prior to its ratification.
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New York v. Connecticut
*Both Connecticut and New claimed the "Conncecticut Gore", a strip of land on New York's western border with Pennsylvania. The debate was over who the land belonged to. This was first original jurisdiction suit between two states.
* New York passes a law aimed at gradually abolishing slavery in the state.
* The Court denied the injunction, finding that New York lacked standing. The State was claiming jurisdiction over the land, not title to it, and the Circuit Court lacked the power to determine -
Little v. Barreme
*A Danish vessel, The Flying Fish,was seized by the United States frigate Boston, commanded by Captain Little, and brought into the port of Boston and libeled as an American vessel that had violated the non-intercourse law.
*1st US land-grant college, Ohio University, Athens Ohio, chartered at this time
* The Court found that the President of the United States does not have "inherent authority" or "inherent powers" which allow him to ignore a law passed by the United States Congress. -
The Schooner Exchange v. M'Faddon
*On December 30, 1810, the Exchange was seized by order of Napoleon Bonaparte. When the vessel later docked in Philadelphia due to storm damage, M'Faddon and Greetham filed an action in the district court to seize the vessel, claiming that it had been taken illegally.
*War of 1812 begins as US declares war against Britain at this time.
*The court ruled that American courts do not have jurisdiction over a friendly nation's military vessel that enters a American port. -
Barron v. Baltimore
*John Barron a wharf owner sued the city of Baltimore for taking his property without compensation in violation of the Fifth Amendment.This debate was mainly about the reach of the Bill of Rights.
*John Deere makes 1st steel plough during this time.
*The Supreme Court decided that the Bill of Rights, specifically the Fifth Amendment's guarantee that government takings of private property for public use require just compensation, are restrictions on the federal government alone. -
United States v. The Amistad
*The Amistad, a spanish vessel, was transporting 49 Africans from the Havanna Cuba, which was a Spanish Colony at this time. The ship was seized with intent of navigating the ship back to Africa. The vessel was discovered by the United States and the captured Africans were transferred to the U.S. District Court of Connecticut.
*President William Henry Harrison dies of pneumonia.
*The ruling in the case was that the Africans who seized control of the ship had be taken into slavery illegally. -
Prigg v. Pennsylvania
*Former slave Margaret Morgan and her family were abducted from Pennsylvania by slavecatcher Edward Prigg and taken to Maryland and sold back into slavery. The four men involved in the abduction were arraigned under the 1826 act. Prigg pleaded not guilty.
* The Webster-Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the United States–Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains during this time.
*Federal law is superior to state law and federal officials are responsible for apprehending fugitive slaves -
Prize Cases
- In April 1861 President Lincoln declared a blockade of southern ports. Union ships seized Confederate merchant vessels and cargoes of foreign neutrals and residents of the southern states. The ships were condemned by federal court order. The owners of the ships and cargo appealed.
- Arizona is organized as a United States territory. *The ruling was that the President did have the authority to order a blockade and impound ships, even without a formal declaration of war.
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Georgia V Stanton
*The state of Georgia brought suit against the Secretary of War and two of his generals in an effort to prevent the enforcement of the Reconstruction Acts following the Civil War.
* In Boston, Massachusetts, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine is established as the first dental school in the United States.
*The Supreme Court lacks jurisdiction over federal government action under the Reconstruction Acts. -
Mississsippi v. Johnson
- In an attempt to delay or prevent Reconstruction, the state of Mississippi appealed directly to the Supreme Court. They asked the Court for an injunction preventing the President from enforcing the Reconstruction Acts on the ground that they were unconstitutional. *Alaska is purchased for $7.2 million from Russia by US *The Supreme Court decided that the Acts were constitutional and the states must obey them and President Johnson was necessarily exercising discretion and so could not be sued.
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Minor v. Happersett
*The case was brought on appeal by Virginia Minor, an officer of the National Woman Suffrage Association, and her husband, Francis Minor. In 1872 Virginia Minor had been barred from registering to vote in St. Louis on the basis of a Missouri law that restricted the right of suffrage to men.
*Brigham Young University is founded in Provo, Utah.
*The court ruled unanimously that the right of suffrage was not protected by the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. -
Wilkerson v. Utah
*This case consisted of a challenge by an individual convicted of murder in territorial court, who had been sentenced to death by firing squad.
* 92°F highest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in May, 1879
* The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the use of a firing squad as a form of capital punishment because it was not cruel and unusual punishment, and denied a challenge that it violated the Eighth Amendment. -
Reynolds V United States
*George Reynolds, secretary to Mormon Church leader Brigham Young, challenged the federal anti-bigamy statute. Reynolds was convicted in a Utah territorial district court. His conviction was affirmed by the Utah territorial supreme court.
* Using a filament of carbonized thread, Thomas Edison tests the first practical electric light bulb during this time.
* The court ruled that Religious duty was not a suitable defense to a criminal indictment. -
Strauder v. West Virginia
*A West Virginia statute limited jury service to white men. Strauder, a black man, was convicted of murder by a trial court in West Virginia. Strauder appealed his conviction.
*1st town completely illuminated by electric lighting (Wabash, IN) during this time.
*A citizen of the United States has a constitutional right to a criminal trial by jury selected and impaneled without discrimination against his race. -
Kidd v. Pearson
*This case is about the illegal making of liquor in Iowa even though it is being sold out of state.
*Congress creates the Department of Labor
*The court ruled that there was no conflict between the state law and Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce. So as a result the law was valid and the manufacturing of liquor in Iowa remained illegal. -
In re Ross
*This case delt with the matter that if sailors on US ships have to follow American law even though they are not in America.
*Caernegie Hall openr in New York City.
*The court said that US laws apply to the sailors while on board the ship. -
Nix v. Hedden
*This case deals with wheather a tomato is a fruit or vegetable. This is important because to the Tariff Act of March 3, 1883 because it states that vegetables are taxed and fruits are not.
*The Critic reports that ice cream soda is our national drink.
*The court ruled that a tomato is a vegetable because one reason they said was that it is eaten with dinner like most vegetables are, unlike fruits that are mostly eaten as dessert. In reality a tomato is a fruit beacuse of its nutiritional value. -
Bunting v. Oregon
*Bunting would not pay his employees time and a half like the state law says that an employer has to after they have worked a 10 hour day.
*United States declairs war on Germany starting the US involvement in World War .
*The court ruled that the law was constitutional and Bunting had to pay all of his employees overtime. -
Buchanan v. Warley
*In Louisville, Kentucky certain areas would not let black people buy certain houses in some neighborhoods in the housing market. This violates the fourteenth amendment rights.
*Cleveland Metropolitan Park District was established.
*The Supreme Court ruled that louisville, Kentucky was being unconstitutional and had to open the housing market to the blacks who wanted to buy the houses. -
Silverthrone Lumber Co. v. United States
*This case happened because Silverthrone Lumber tried to evade paying taxes so Federal agents illegally seized a tax book from the lumber company. So this made Silverthrone Lumber go to the Supreme Court and see if illegal evidence cannot be used in court.
*League of Nations is established.
*The Supreme Court ruled that any illegal evidencein the cxourt of law is not valid and cannot be used. -
Federal Baseball club v. National League
*After the federal league folded and most of the teams were bought out by the National League. The owner of the Baltimore Terrapins (Baltimore Federal League team) sued the American and National league because he said they were trying to monoploize baseball by getting rid of the Federal league.
*Walt Disney has his first film company Laugh-O-Grams films.
*The ourt ruled that baseball was not interstate commerce and it is a state affair. -
New Mexico v. Texas
*This case is over where the New Mexico Texas boarder is offically held.
*Babe Ruth hit 60 homeruns in one season.
*The court ruled that the boarder line of Texas and New Mexico is in the middle of the Rio Grande River that was set in 1850. -
United States v. Schwimmer
- Rosika Schwimmer was a pacifist who would not take the oath of allegence because she said no to "take up arms in defense of her country" So she went to the Supreme Court to be come a US citizen. *New York Yankees were the first team to wear uniform numbers. *The court ruled that anyone becoming a US citizen must take the oath and if they refuse they will be denied citizenship.
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Blackmer v. United States
*Harry Blackmer was a US citizen who lived in Paris. Blackmer was suppose to be a witness in a trial but refused to come. He was fined 30,000 dollars but tried to challenge the fine under the 5th amendment.
*Third Winter Olympics in Lake Placid New York
*The court ruled that US citizens who are living in a foriegn country are still under US jurisdiction and Blackmer still had to pay his fine. -
United States v. Constanine
*This case is about when a liquor dealer violates a liquor law they will have a tax placed on their liquor.
*National Council of Negro Women form.
*The Supreme Court ruled that this law was constiiutional and that Constanine would have to pay the tax for his liquor violation. -
Hale v. Kentucky
*Joe Hale was convicted of a crime in McCraken County, Kentucky and whe the jury was chosen there were no black people on the jury even though there were 7,000 eligible black people to be chosen on the jury.
*The Baseball Hall of Fame opens in Cooperstown, New York.
*The Court ruled that it was against the 14 amendment. Also by having more blacks on juries in courts there will be less of a chance of racial discrimation happening. -
Lisenba v. Californa
*Raymond Lisenba was charged with the murder of his wife and the court wanted a confession so they sleep deprived him and slapped him until he confessed.The defendant said it was a false confession.
*Walt Disney coam out with the movie "Dumbo".
*The court upheld the confession because of all of the evidence and his prior wife died in a similar way. -
Girouard v. United States
- James Girouard lived in Canada who wanted to become a US citizen but he was a pacifist due to his religious pratices, He said " All human beings are children of God". *The first US rocket left Earth's atmosphere at about 50 miles above ground. *The Supreme Court ruled that a person should not be denied US citizenship because of religious pacifism. This ruling overturned an earlier court case United States v. Schwimmer.
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Pinkerton v. United States
*This case covers that if someone is involved in a conspiracyif they can be charged with other crimes in the same conspiracy.
*First night game is played at Yankee Stadium.
*The court ruled that all people involved in a conspiracy are charged with all other crimes in that conspiracy. -
McCollum v. Board of Education
- The case related to the power of a state to use its tax-supported public school system in aid of religious instruction. It delt with the separation of church and state with respect to education.
- NASCAR holds its first race for modified stock cars at Daytona Beach.
- The court ruled in favor of McCollum, ruling that the classes were unconstitutional.
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United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.
The Court held in this case that the existing distribution scheme was in violation of the antitrust laws of the United States, which prohibit certain exclusive dealing arrangements.
* The Foreign Assistance Act ( The Marshall Plan ) is agreed to provide more than $13 billion in aid to war torn Europe between 1948 and 1951
* The court decided that studios were in violation of anti trust laws. This changed the way movies were made. -
Sweatt v. Painter
- The case involved a black man who was refused admission to the School of Law of the University of Texas. At the time, no law school in Texas would admit black students.
- President Truman approved U.S. construction of the hydrogen bomb.
- Court reversed the lower court decision, saying that the separate school failed to qualify as an equal facility, both because of quantitative differences in facilities and intangible factors.
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Boynton v. Virginia
- The case delt with the conviction of an African American law student for trespassing by being in a restaurant in a bus terminal which was "whites only".
- The United States launches the world's first nuclear powered Aircraft Carrier the USS Enterprise.
- The court held that racial segregation in public transportation was illegal because such segregation violated the Interstate Commerce Act, which broadly forbade discrimination in interstate passenger transportation.
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Engel v. Vitale
*The case was brought by the Jewish families of a public school. They felt that the voluntary prayer written by the state board of regents to "Almighty God" contradicted their religious beliefs.
* Marilyn Monroe is found dead on August 5th after apparently overdosing on sleeping pills.
* The court that ruled it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools. -
Griffin v. Maryland
- Five African American college students were part of a protest which picketed the racial exclusionary policies of the privately owned and operated Glen Echo Amusement Park. They were arrested after entering the park and refusing to leave.
- James H. Meredith, an African American and a former serviceman in the U.S. Air Force begins his degree at the white only University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi.
- The court reversed the convictions of the five African Americans .
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Cohen V. California
- Robert Cohen was arrested for wearing a jacket bearing the words "Fuck the Draft" inside the Los Angeles Courthouse. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
- Harris public opinion poll claims that 60% of Americans are against the war in Vietnam.
- The Court overturned his conviction for the crime of disturbing the peace for wearing the jacket.
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Roe v. Wade
- The case was over whether abortion is constitutional or not.
- World Trade Center in New York becomes the tallest building in the world.
- The Court deemed abortion a fundamental right under the United States Constitution, thereby subjecting all laws attempting to restrict it to the standard of strict scrutiny. This made abortion 100% legal.
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Nixon v. General Services Administration
- This case was argued a few years after the Watergate scandal had broken out. The case concerned whether the public is allowed to view a President’s “confidential documents”.
- The Medal of Freedom was awarded posthumously to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
- The Supreme Court decided that the Presidential Recordings and Material Preservation Act was constitutional, and it ruled in favor of the Administrator of General Services. It would be considered an invasion of privacy.
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Edwards V. Aguillard
- The case was about the teaching of creationism. Louisiana law requiring that creation science be taught in public schools, along with evolution.
- Fox Broadcasting Co. made its prime-time TV debut.
- The court found the law unconstitutional because the law was specifically intended to advance a particular religion. This led to the devlopment of many Sunday schools.
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Texas V. Johnson
- Gregory Johnson was arrested for burning an American flag during a protest. Johnson claimed he was using his right to freedom of speech.
- The Mirage Hotel and Casino opens in Las Vegas as the first huge resort hotel.
- The Supreme Court ruled that flag burning as a form of political protest is an act of protected speech under the First Amendment to the Constitution.
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Vacco V. Quill
- It was a case that debated whether assisted suicide was constitutional. The State of New York had enacted a prohibition against physician-assisted suicide, making it a crime for a physician to administer lethal medication or to otherwise knowingly and intentionally end the life of a patient.
- Microsoft becomes the worlds most valuable company valued at $261 billion dollars.
- It ruled that a New York ban on physician-assisted suicide was constitutional. This ban the practice of euthanasia.
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Brigham City V. Stuart
*Oficers of Brigham City entered a house after they saw under aged drinking and a fight taking place. They stopped the fight and arrested they adults for contibuting to the delinquency of minors. The oficers were warrantless.
*Zacarias Moussaoui convicted of conspiring to kill Americans as part of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
*The Court ruled that the officers' warrantless entry into the home was justified under the emergency aid exception. -
Kennedy V. Louisiana
*Patrick o Neal Kennedy brutally rapped his 8 year old step sister. Louisiana seeked the death penalty as punishment.
*Citigroup, the nation’s largest bank, joins a number of other high profile financial institutions and reported a fourth-quarter loss of $9.83 billion caused by the sub prime mortgage problems.
*The opinion concluded that in cases of crimes against individuals, "the death penalty should not be expanded to instances where the victim’s life was not taken." -
Salazar V. Buono
- A cross was placed on a cliff in Mojave National Park to honor dead soliders. Some one filled a lawsuit aginst the national park to remove the cross. *BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster in the gulf of Mexico leaves gulf covered in oil. *he Supreme Court ruled that the cross may stay, but also sent the case back to a lower court, making the issue currently unresolved.
