Landmark Supreme court cases

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  • Plessy vs. Ferguson

    Issue: Seperate but equal
    Decision: the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ferguson. The majority rejected Plessy’s Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendment arguments, instead putting its stamp of approval on the doctrine of “separate but equal.”

  • Brown vs Board of education

    Issue: School Segregation
    Decision: the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Brown. The Court found the practice of segregation unconstitutional and refused to apply its decision in Plessy v. Ferguson to “the field of public education.”
  • Mapp vs. Ohio

    Mapp vs. Ohio

    Issue; Exclusionary rule
    Desicion; the police found a trunk containing pornographic materials. They arrested Mapp and charged her with violating an Ohio law against the possession of obscene materials. At the trial the police officers did not show Mapp and her attorney the alleged search warrant or explain why they refused to do so, so the court ruled in favor mapp.
  • Gideon vs Wainwright

    Gideon vs Wainwright

    Issue: right to consuel due.
    Decision: The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Gideon. Justice Black wrote the opinion for the Court, who ruled that the right to the assistance of counsel in felony criminal cases is a fundamental right, and thus must be required in state courts as well as federal courts.
  • Miranda vs. Arizona

    Miranda vs. Arizona

    Issue: Self-incrimnation
    Decision; police officers questioning him did not inform him of his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, or of his Sixth Amendment right to the assistance of an attorney. While he confessed to the crime, his attorney later argued that his confession should have been excluded from trial.

  • Tinker vs Del Moines

    Issue: Student speech, Symbolic speech
    Decision;In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Tinkers. Justice Fortas wrote the majority opinion, ruling that students retain their constitutional right of freedom of speech while in public school.

  • New Jersey vs T.L.O

    Issue:Student search and seizure
    Decision: Supreme Court ruled in favor of New Jersey and the school, and against T.L.O. The majority concluded that school officials do not need a warrant to justify a search as long as the search was reasonable under the circumstances

  • Texas vs Johnson

    Issue: Freedon of speech, Flag burning
    Decision: In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled for Johnson. Justice Brenan wrote the opinion for the majority, ruling that Johnson’s act of burning the American flag was protected by the First Amendment because it was expressive conduct.