Kayla Hughes Mr.

Burgess AP Government

Supreme Court Cases

1 Mapp v. Ohio - The Fourth Amendment, the right to the protection against an unreasonable search and seizure, was challenged in this court case in 1961. Police forcibly entered a womans home after accusing her of harboring a fugitive, and then proceeded to unlawfully search her home. The search produced obscene photographs and so the woman was charged with possession of them. The Supreme Court, however, overturned her conviction on the grounds that the police had acted unconstitutionally. It was decided then that any evidence acquired through such a search would not be allowed to be used in state convictions. 2 Miranda v. Arizona - This court case questioned the Fifth and Sixth Amendment in 1966, which is the right to the protection against self-incrimination and the right to counsel. A man confessed during a police interrogation that he had kidnapped and raped a woman and was subsequently convicted. His conviction fell through though and was overturned when the Supreme Court ruled that his rights had been violated when he was informed of his rights to remain silent and to legal assistance. This ruling led to the Miranda Warning that all police officers are now required to read to suspects. 3 Plessy v. Ferguson - This Supreme Court case occurred in 1896 and examined the definition of the right to equality. Post-Civil War racism led to complications for African Americans because of a lot of whites did not want to share space with them. Due to this, the Court decided that separate but equal public facilities were legal, and that allowed segregation. This decision then became a justification for separate and unequal treatment of African Americans. 4 Brown v. Board of Education Topeka Kansas - This 1954 court case was a result of a little African American girl wanting to attend an all-white public school, and brought into question the past ideas of civil rights. That little girl wanted to go to a closer school, and so applied to the all-white public school, but was denied because of the color of her skin. The Supreme Court found this unconstitutional and reversed the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling by declaring racial segregation of public schools inherently unequal. This allowed

the girl to attend that school, and was the beginning of the political movement of African Americans towards legal and social equality. 5 Gideon v. Wainwright - In this 1963 court case, the right to counsel, the Sixth Amendment, was tried when a man was convicted without due process. He was forced to act as his own lawyer due to being denied a proper legal counsel, and was on these grounds given an appeal to his conviction. This Supreme Court ruling resulted in the legal requirement that all states provide an attorney for poor defendants in all felony cases. 6 Tinker v. Des Moines - During the Vietnam war, a lot of protest occurred and this 1969 Supreme Court case was an inquisition into the First Amendment rights of students at school. A group of kids during the protest period of the war was suspended for wearing an anti-war armband, and did not come back until the period was over. The disciplinary action against the students was investigated by the Court, and it was found that the suspension was a violation of their First Amendment rights of free speech and that the suspension would be stricken from their records. This decision led to the definition of what rights were allowed to students at school. 7 Miller v. California - This Supreme Court case of 1973 called into examination the idea of contemporary community standards. This basically means that the idea of what was considered legal or obscene was altered. Material was then on judged on its overall merit, not its most objectionable feature. The Court found that this was an appropriate compromise to the idea of it being a part of the right to privacy and led to more reforms in what was material legal to own. 8 Griswold v. Connecticut - This case challenged the right of privacy of women and couples in 1965. The Supreme Court declared a state law prohibiting the use of birth control devices unconstitutional. They said that a state had no right to interfere in a persons choice regarding contraception. This decision cemented the idea that individuals have a zone of [personal] privacy that cannot be lawfully infringed upon. 9 Roe v. Wade - In this 1973 Supreme Court case, a womans right to an abortion was disputed. The Court went against a Texas state law concerning this issue, and decided that it went against a womans right to privacy. Their legal ruling resulted in both praise

and condemnation and has cause a long-standing debate on both the legal and religious aspects of abortion. 10 Terry v. Ohio - This Supreme Court case in 1968 was a major decision on the outline of the Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure. The Court ruled that it was perfectly legal for a police officer to stop and frisk a suspect on the street without probable cause for arrest if the officer has reasonable suspicion that the suspect has committed, is committing, or will commit a crime and is armed and dangerous. This ruling was based on the understanding that the exclusionary act has its limitations and that it does not violate the Fourth Amendment because it is not for gathering evidence but preventing crime. This soon led to the decision that it is legal for an officer to detain a suspect in their vehicle, also known as traffic stops.