Landmark Supreme Court Cases
Protecting the Accused
How have the decisions of the Supreme
Court protected people accused of crimes?
What rights are accused people guaranteed?
Constitutional Amendments
Fourth: no illegal search and seizure. Law enforcement must have a
search warrant or probable cause.
Fifth Amendment: Rights of the Accused
1. No one can be tried for a felony unless indicted by a
grand jury
2. No double jeopardy
3. Protection against self-incrimination
4. Due Process: accused must receive all parts of legal
process
Sixth Amendment: Rights of People on Trial
1. Trial by jury
2. Speedy and public trial
3. Right to confront witnesses/accusers
4. Right to an attorney
Group Assignment
 Divide into 4 equal groups
 You will be assigned a specific Supreme Court case and
you will become an expert on this case.
 You are to create a presentation to teach your
classmates about these cases. Be sure to include:
 A brief overview of the case (Who, What, Where, When,
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Why) What constitutional right was being questioned?
What was the ruling? Votes for and against. Who wrote
the majority opinion, the dissenting opinion?
Was the ruling based on a precedent or did it set a new
precedent? What was the precedent?
At least one picture
Two multiple choice questions to ask the class
Cases
 Mapp v. Ohio (1961): Mapp was
arrested for possessing
pornography found in an
illegal search.
- Illegally obtained evidence
cannot be used in a trial.
“Exclusionary rule”
established.
 Gideon v. Wainwright (1963):
Gideon arrested for robbery.
He asks for a lawyer but the
court refuses to provide one.
- If a defendant cannot afford a
lawyer, the state must provide
one for them.
More Cases
 Miranda v. Arizona (1966):
Miranda was arrested for rape
and murder and confessed to the
crime before being advised of his
rights.
- Accused criminals must be
informed of their rights when
arrested
 In re Gault (1966): Gerald Gault
(15) was convicted of making an
obscene phone call and
sentenced to 5 years in a juvenile
detention facility.
- Juveniles must be afforded the
same rights as adults, including:
notifying parents, right to
counsel, right to confront
accusers, and protection against
self-incrimination.