STAAR Exam Legal Cases
Cases you WILL be tested on:
• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): Supreme Court
ruled that “separate but equal” schools were
OK; basically justified __________.
• Brown v. Board of Education (1954): Supreme
Court ruled state laws allowing separate black
& white schools were unconstitutional;
basically overturned ________ v. __________
Cases you might be tested on:
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Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969)
Hernandez v. Texas (1954)
Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
White v. Regester (1973)
Mendez v. Westminster (1947)
Delgado v. Bastrop ISD (1948)
Edgewood ISD v. Kirby (1984)
Sweatt v. Painter (1950)
Mendez v. Westminster (1947), page
307 in Jarrett book
• At the time, California required Mexican-Americans to
go to separate schools
• This requirement was protected by state law (sort of,
see below)
• Mexican-American parents challenged this
arrangement
• California law required Asian students to be segregated
but not Mexican-Americans
• 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rules in favor of parents; CA
repeals law soon after
• Case did NOT go to Supreme Court, but was a victory
for Civil Rights
Delgado v. Bastrop ISD (1948), page
308
• Again, Mexican-American parents sue a school
district for segregation against Mex-Americans
(this time in Texas!)
• A U.S. District Court ruled in favor of the
parents & ordered school district to end
segregation of Mex-American students
• Case did NOT go to Supreme Court
Hernandez v. Texas (1954), page 308
• Pete Hernandez was convicted of murder in Texas
by an all-white jury
• Hernandez appealed to U.S. Supreme Court
claiming his rights under the 14th Amendment
had been violated
• Texas argued that Mexicans where white, and
thus not entitled to any special protections
• SC ruled in favor of Hernandez, saying he had the
right to be tried “by juries from which members
of his class are not excluded”
14th Amendment
• Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the
United States, and subject to the jurisdiction
thereof, are citizens of the United States and of
the State wherein they reside. No State shall
make or enforce any law which shall abridge the
privileges or immunities of citizens of the United
States; nor shall any State deprive any person of
life, liberty, or property, without due process of
law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction
the equal protection of the laws
White v. Regester (1973), page 308
• In 1970, the Texas legislature changed its
district boundaries (which it does a lot)
• Opponents claimed that Texas had specifically
changed the boundaries to ensure minority
candidates could not win elections
• U.S. Supreme Court agreed and ordered Texas
to restructure boundaries to make it more
likely for minority (esp Mexican) candidates to
get elected
Edgewood ISD v. Kirby (1984), page
308
• Before the ‘80s, Texas schools were financed by local
taxes
• A Mexican-American legal group claimed this was
unfair to poorer school districts & sued the Texas
Education Commissioner (Kirby)
• The Texas Supreme Court agreed, saying the way
schools were financed violated the Texas Constitution
which guarantees a “fair and efficient” education for all
Texans
• Texas was ordered to find a better way to finance
public schools (which led to the “Robin Hood Plan”
Assessment:
• Ok, now match the court cases on page 309
Sweatt v. Painter (1950), page 273
• NAACP sued the University of Texas at Austin
law school
• Heman Sweatt had applied but was told he
would have to attend a separate, all-black UT
Law School (UT made one just for him, how
nice!)
• US Supreme Court ruled failed as a “separate
but equal” facility since Sweatt needed
adequate facilities to train as a lawyer
Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), page 331
• John Tinker & his sister were suspended for
wearing black armbands to school to protest
the Vietnam War
• Supreme Court ruled that this suspension was
a violation of Tinker’s _______ Amendment
Rights
• Do you agree?
Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972), page 331
• Supreme Court struck down a Wisconsin state
law requiring Amish children to attend school
beyond grade 8
• The Court claimed that this violated the
________ Amendment
• Why would they say this? Do you agree?
1st Amendment:
• Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging the
freedom of speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the Government for a redress
of grievances.
Other cases:
• Bush v. Gore (2000): Supreme Court ordered
an end to the recount deciding the 2000
presidential election, allowing G.W. Bush to be
elected as 41st president
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