Famous Supreme Court Cases

[Brian]

The Supreme Court consists of 9 individuals who give the final say and decision on major court cases. Here is a list of notable cases and some that are notable at least to me, anyway and are listed in no particular order.

California v. Greenwood - In 1988, police found stashed drugs in garbage bags outside the house of accused illegal narcotics dealer Billy Greenwood. This evidence was used in court and Greenwood was convicted. Greenwood appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on the basis that the police had no search warrant and that the evidence was therefore inadmissible. The Court ruled that since the drugs were outside where anybody can look and search, the drugs were public domain and could be used as evidence.

Escobedo v. Illinois - Escobedo was arrested on suspicion of murder and was denied the chances to speak with his attorney. He later made incriminating statements, the confession was used as evidence, and he was convicted. The Court overturned it, citing that he was denied his right to counsel and the confession was inadmissible.

Gideon v. Wainright - Clarence Gideon was arrested for attempting to break into a poolroom with the intent to commit a misdemeanor. He was illiterate and could not afford an attorney so he asked that he be provided one. He was denied his request and he had no other choice than to defend himself. He lost. The Court sided with Gideon and he was given a lawyer for the second trial in which he was acquitted. This case set a precedent that applies today that law enforcement should provide a suspect an attorney should he not afford one.

Katz v. United States - Katz was convicted of transmitting gambling information based on wiretapped phone conversations recorded by the FBI. The Supreme Court ruled that the wiretapped evidence was inadmissible since verbal evidence was the same as any kind of evidence.

Mapp v. Ohio - There are two sides of this story and I will tell both. In my Government text book, police entered the home of Dolly Mapp without a warrant acting on suspicion of illegal gambling. The found no evidence of gambling but they found obscene pictures and literature which was illegal. Another source states that police entered her home because in informant told them that a suspect in a bombing case was hiding out there. Either case, Mapp was convicted of possessing the obscene materials but the Court overruled it because the evidence was obtained illegally.

Miranda v. Arizona - Ernesto Mirando was pegged the perpetrator in a rape and kidnapping case, was questioned for two hours, and signed a confession. The problem was that he had not been advised of his rights to an attorney or that anything said could be used against him in the court of law. The Supreme Court agreed and the famous Miranda Rights were born out of this precedent.

Sheppard v. Maxwell - Dr. Sam Sheppard was convicted of murdering his wife. However, because the press had broadcast so many lurid details about his life that he was unable to get a fair trial. The Court threw out the conviction and he was later tried and found not guilty. This was how the "gag order" started and was later implemented in court cases.

Texas v. Johnson - This was the famous flag-burning case in which Johnson was arrested for burning the American flag at the Republican National Convention in Dallas and convicted. He appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled on a slim 5-4 vote that his actions were not unlawful and were protected by the First Amendment. This case was one of the most controversial cases ever.

I don't know the name of this case but it involved the Ku Klux Klan. In 1969 (I think) the state of Ohio sued a Klan leader for making a speech which advocated the murder of minorities. The case made it's way to the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled that since the speech was no immediate threat the Klan was protected by the First Amendment.

Here is an interesting case, at least to me, anyway. In the early 1970s, notorious Chicago hit man Henry Aleman killed a resident. This was witnessed by the man's neighbor from across the street. The neighbor agreed to testify but had to be relocated and everything. The defense asked that instead of a jury, a judge decide whether Aleman was guilty. The judge, Justice Wilson personally did not believe the neightbor's testimony and ruled Aleman innocent. It wasn't revealed until the early 1990s that Judge Wilson was bribed to throw the trial. Prosecutor's attempted to retry him for the crime and the defense filed a wave of motions before the case was seen by the Supreme Court. The Court ruled that Aleman was not in any danger of being convicted the first time around, given that the judge was bribed and the outcome was predetermined. He was not in jeopardy and could be retried for the crime. With a jury, Aleman was convicted and sentenced to no less than 100 years in prison, ensuring that one of Chicago's most notorious hit men would die behind bars.

There are lots of others but I'll let you guy's list them.

[Crimson and Clover]

Brown V. Board Of Education-On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously declared that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" and, as such, violate the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees all citizens "equal protection of the laws."

thats one i know the best.

[Crimson and Clover]

Roe v. Wade (1973)
The Court held that a woman's right to an abortion fell within the right to privacy (recognized in Griswold v. Connecticut) protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision gave a woman a right to abortion during the entireity of the pregnancy and defined different levels of state interest for regulating abortion in the second and third trimesters. As a result, the laws of 46 states were affected by the Court's ruling.