Supreme Court Student Research Responses – If you feel your peers did not provide enough detail, please review the case on
http://www.oyez.com.
Case and Year
New Jersey
versus TLO
1985
Background
TLO was a high school student who had drugs.
TLO moved evidence and it was denied. 4th
amendment should be applied?
Roe versus Wade Roe was a pregnant Texan who said abortion
1973
law prohibited her.
Korematsu
versus United
States
1944
Hazelwood
versus
Kuhlmeier
1988
FDR basically argued that most of the
Japanese-Americans need to vacate their
homes 12 months after Pearl Harbor.
Korematsu failed to relocate.
H.E. HS edited school’s newspaper. Principal
Reynolds didn’t approve of 2 of its articles.
Kuhlmeier and other students took this to
court.
Constitutional Issue
Does the 4th amendment apply to
seizures controlled by school
officials?
Supreme Court decision.
No, the decision made by Paul
Stevens said that NJ didn’t include
the 4th amendment. SC shouldn’t
provide this guidance.
Does the constitution embrace
7-2 decision in favor of Roe. Court
the woman’s right to terminate
says women’s right to abortion fell
her pregnancy by abortion?
to the privacy protection of the 14th
amendment. Laws of 46 states
were affected.
Did the President and Congress
6-3 decision in favor of US Court
go beyond their “War Powers,” by sided with government and held
implementing exclusion and
the need to protect against
restricting the rights of Japanese- espionage out-weighed
Americans?
Korematsu’s rights.
Did the principal’s deletion of the 5-3 decision in favor of Hazelwood.
articles violate the students’
The court held that the 1st
st
rights under the 1 amendment? amendment did not require schools
to promote any particular types of
student speech.
Case and Year
Background
Constitutional Issue
Supreme Court decision.
United States
versus Virginia
1996
VMI only public male undergrad institute. U.S.
brought suit to Virginia and VMI. VMI wanted
to compromise w/ Virginia’s Women’s
Institute of Leadership. VMIL.
No. 7-1 majority in favor of the
United States. The court said that
VMIL would not get the same
opportunities or benefits as men.
Roe V Wade
1973
Roe, a Texas resident, wants an abortion but
Texas’ law says can only have one to save her
life. The case was argued twice. The second
one Sarah Weddington sharpened her
constitutional argument.
Does Virginia’s creation of a
women’s only academy as a
comparable program to a male
only academy satisfy the 14th
amendment’s equal protection
clause?
Does the Constitution embrace a
woman’s right to terminate her
pregnancy by abortion?
Yes. With a 7-2 majority for Roe,
the Court held that a woman’s right
to abortion fell within the right to
privacy preceded by the 14th
amendment.
Supreme Court Student Research Responses – If you feel your peers did not provide enough detail, please review the case on
http://www.oyez.com.
New Jersey v
TLU
1985
High school student was searched for
cigarettes. They found marijuana. Found
guilty and sentenced to 1-year probation.
Search and seizure 4th
amendment. Whether or not this
amendment applied to students
inside of the school.
Appealed his right to life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness.
Ruled that the search and seizure
was unconstitutional and therefore
the evidence did not hold up.
Korematsu v U.S.
1944
Japanese citizens were not allowed in areas
deemed critical to national defense.
Korematsu remained in San Francisco
California.
Case and Year
Background
Constitutional Issue
Supreme Court decision.
Plessy v
Ferguson
1896
Homer Plessy, 7/8th white, took a seat on a
railcar and refused to move, violating
Louisiana state law.
Does Louisiana’s law violate the
14th amendment?
7-1 for Ferguson. Separate but
Equal. Segregation  unlawful
discrimination.
Brown v Board
1954
Students were separated in classrooms based
upon race.
Miranda versus
Arizona
1966
Numerous cases of people being interrogated
w/o being told their rights.
Segregating children = violating
the 14th amendment? How should
SCOTUS act on the verdict?
Does the police practice of
interrogating individuals without
notifying them of their right to
counsel and their protection
against self-incrimination violate
the 5th amendment?
Did the University of California
violate the 14th amendment’s
equal protection clause, and the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 by
practicing an affirmative action
policy that resulted in the
rejection of Bakke’s application
for admission to it’s medical
school?
Yes it violated all school authority
and they must abide by new
principles.
Prosecutors couldn’t use
statements unless they told people
being interrogated their rights.
Constitutional Issue
Supreme Court decision.
Regents v. Bakke
1978
Bakke applied for medical school with
outstanding scores but was turned away
because the college reserved spots for
“eligible minorities.”
Case and Year
Background
Ruled in favor of the gov. The gov.
was correct to remove him and “In
times of emergency and peril his
rights could be overruled.”
Origin of Miranda Rights.
Bakke was granted admission. Any
race quota system supported by
the gov’t violated the Civil Rights
Act of 1964. Racial standards were
not changed at the school.
Supreme Court Student Research Responses – If you feel your peers did not provide enough detail, please review the case on
http://www.oyez.com.
Gideon v
Wainwright
1963
Brandenburg v
Ohio
1969
Texas versus
Johnson
1989
Gideon was charged with a felony in Florida;
requested a lawyer but was denied; filed
habeas corpus petition but Florida denied it.
Brandenburg, a KKK leader, made a speech
and was arrested because it is illegal to
advocate crime and violence.
Johnson burned an American flag and was
convicted under Texas law. The conviction got
reversed in appeal and went to the SCOTUS.
Does the 6th amendment apply to
felony defendants in state courts?
Reno versus
ACLU
1996
People challenged the constitutionality of 2
provisions in the 1996 Communications
Decency Act (made illegal the posting of
obscene or indecent messages on the
internet).
Did the provisions violate the 1st
and 5th amendments by being to
broad/vague?
Case and Year
Mapp versus
Ohio
1961
Tinker v Des
Moines
1969
Background
Mapp was found w/ obscene materials
because of an illegal police search.
Constitutional Issue
The search violated the 4th
amendment.
Engel v Vitale
1962
The board wanted to say a prayer everyday in
the morning.
The students weren’t allowed to wear armbands at school and got suspended for doing
so.
Was Brandenburg protected by
the 1st and 14th amendments
when he made his speech?
Is destroying the American Flag a
form of speech that is protected
by the 1st amendment?
Yes it did apply. Felony defendants
in state courts have a right to a
lawyer. Majority vote: 9-0
Ohio’s law violated Brandenburg’s
right to free speech.
Majority vote: 9-0
His actions were protected by the
1st amendment and his actions fell
under the expressive conduct
category. The fact that the people
take offence to a certain thing,
doesn’t justify prohibition of
speech. Majority vote: 5-4
Yes. It violated the 1st amendment
because it didn’t clearly define
“indecent,” communications. Courts
refused to address the 5th
amendment issues. Majority vote:
9-0
Supreme Court decision.
6-3 decision in favor of Mapp.
Majority opinion by Tom C. Clark
evidence cannot be used.
Violated 1st amendment (freedom 7-2 decision in favor of Tinker.
of speech)
Majority opinion ruled that the
students had the 1st amendment,
even while at school.
st
Violated 1 amendment (freedom 6-1 decision for Engel. Majority
of speech & freedom of religion)
opinion ruled that it is
unconstitutional for state officials
to compose an official school
prayer and encourage its recitation
in public schools.
Supreme Court Student Research Responses – If you feel your peers did not provide enough detail, please review the case on
http://www.oyez.com.
Schenck v United
States
1919
Schenck encouraged insubordination of
military during WW1
Violation of 1st amendment.
Charged w/ conspiracy and
violation of Espionage Act.
Unanimous decision for United
States. Majority opinion, Schenck is
not protected during wartimes.