The decision: The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the law did not exceed the powers of Congress. She argued that corporate discrimination had a huge impact on black travel, even if it was a small business, because the negative effects could be significant when added up. This was especially the case here, since 75% of the motel`s guests came from abroad. The case: Before President Thomas Jefferson took office in 1801, lame duck John Adams and Congress created new courts and appointed dozens of judges, including William Marbury as Justice of the Peace in the District of Columbia. But the new administration`s secretary of state, James Madison, declined to confirm the nomination. Marbury therefore filed a lawsuit. Officially the longest case in English legal history, this ten-year smear battle between David and Goliath revealed the price of justice when corporations take control of individuals. The fast-food giant sued green activists David Morris and Helen Steel for defamation over a scathing pamphlet criticizing their ethical credentials. McDonald`s got away with a win and a PR disaster. The European Court of Human Rights later ruled in 2005 that the couple, who were unfunded and self-represented, had been deprived of their right to a fair trial. Question: Does the First Amendment prohibit public school officials from banning students from wearing black armbands to symbolize political protest against the war? Result: According to the court, yes. The Supreme Court ruled that students “do not give up their constitutional rights to freedom of expression. at the door of the school.
As a result, the court held that students` speech could only be prohibited if it actually interfered with the educational process. Since there was no evidence of such interference, the school violated First Amendment free speech. Relevance: Tinker has become the central case for all school-based First Amendment rights challenges. While courtroom media relations regulations vary from state to state, the most fascinating cases find a way to cross borders to captivate the country. These cases involve defendants the public loves to hate, lawyers whose reputations precede them, and shocking revelations of damaging new evidence – and, with one of the trials on our list, a marriage proposal in court! The court ruled that the Secretary of State did not have the legal authority to issue a search warrant and that, therefore, Carrington had committed trespass. This case reflects the principle that “no one is above the law” – not even the Secretary of State. To date, law enforcement agencies are only allowed to do what the law allows. The case: David Washington was sentenced to death after pleading guilty to murder. But this case was born out of what his lawyer did not do during the trial. His lawyer did not call character witnesses or obtain a psychiatric report.
Washington appealed, arguing that his lawyer`s support was constitutionally invalid. The decision: The Supreme Court ruled per curiam, that is, on behalf of the court and not the judge, that his freedom of expression had been violated. He said statements can only be banned if they directly incite “imminent illegal acts.” He also noted that abstract discussions are not the same as actual preparation for violence. This case extended the protection of political dissent. On the other side of the Atlantic, no case better illustrates the political and social implications of judicial decisions. The landmark 1973 decision upheld women`s right to abortion. Synonymous with abortion in the USA. Hundreds of thousands of people march to the U.S. Supreme Court every year on the anniversary of the decision.
This case was triggered by the Watergate scandal, when a special prosecutor requested recordings that President Richard Nixon had recorded at the White House. He refused, saying he had “executive privilege” that allowed him to withhold sensitive information to maintain confidential communications and maintain national security. Nixon released edited versions, but not the full tapes, which led Nixon and the prosecutor to file motions for a Supreme Court hearing. This case gave the federal government more power to regulate the economy and also allowed federal regulation of things like workplace safety and civil liberties. Not everyone was in favour of this case. Remarkably, the late Justice Antonia Scalia used to laugh about it. After admitting to having sleepless nights, the judges allowed the doctors to separate. Lord Justice Brooke said that the situation was a necessity and allowed the option of a lesser evil.
The stronger twin survived and made a full recovery. This fortunately rare case, which can be found in philosophical debates, shows the relationship between law and morality, perhaps one of the first questions of a legal theory course. In times of war, courts are sometimes asked to strike a balance between individual rights and public safety. What lessons can be drawn from the tensions arising from this case? For more information, see Korematsu v. United States The decision: The Supreme Court ruled 5-1 that the Cherokee Nation was a sovereign “distinct community.” He repealed Georgian law that prohibited whites from living on Native American lands. The case was important because it exposed the relationship between tribes, states and the federal government. This meant that interaction with Native Americans became a federal process and offered some sovereignty in interaction with the U.S. government. A year after marital rape was declared rape in 1991, came the case of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, who had been abused by an abusive husband for more than a decade. She was convicted of murder after setting her husband on fire while he was sleeping. By acknowledging long-term domestic violence and the possibility of slow-burning anger that led to its snapshot, the case has been a cause of feminist and domestic violence groups. Although the decision was ultimately based on diminished responsibility, it was seen as a benchmark for combating gender bias in criminal justice and raising public awareness about domestic violence.
Ahluwalia`s sentence was reduced to manslaughter and she was released. The case: This case stems from the partition scheme in Alabama. Under the 14th Amendment, each voter`s intentions were supposed to carry the same weight, but in Alabama, the districts no longer accurately represented the number of people living there, especially in cities where the population had grown rapidly. The question was whether this violated the “equality protection” clause of the 14th Amendment. The decision established the legal threshold for people who pose a danger to themselves or others. Several plaintiffs, including the First National Bank of Boston, wanted to challenge a proposed income tax increase for high-income people in Massachusetts. The plaintiffs wanted to pay for advertising to criticize them, but they could only spend money if they were “materially assigned,” based on a Massachusetts law that limited what companies could spend on politics. Attorney General Francis Bellotti said the bank had not been significantly affected. The plaintiffs challenged the constitutionality of the provision. This was the first time that the Civil Rights Act had been challenged, and by maintaining it, the law was legitimized and strengthened.
The law would later be used to dismantle many other forms of racial discrimination. Honor important personalities involved in related brown v. Board of Education and Mendez v. Westminster with a theatrical presentation for readers. Are there any cases that should be missing from this list? Add them in the comments below. The criminal justice system has faced some of the most difficult criminal cases involving mafia members, particularly during the prohibition era. In 1927, Joseph Adonis founded the Seven Group, an elite group of underworld gangsters, to control the liquor trade at the height of prohibition. Adonis agreed to be deported to Milan, Italy, after the federal government filed a perjury charge regarding his citizenship. In addition, Albert Anastasia committed violent and victimless acts in the underworld of drug trafficking, gambling and prostitution. Anastasia appeared before the U.S.
Committee of Criminal Investigation and pleaded not guilty to those charges before she was murdered. Organized crime was not limited to the northeastern half of the United States. Al Capone, arguably one of the most notorious criminals in U.S. history, helped manage the alcohol trade in the Chicago underworld before expanding into gambling, prostitution, and saloons. Capone terrorized Chicago with violence, murder and chaos.