The Law Dictionary for Everyone
Following is the case brief for Van Orden v. Perry, 545 U.S. 677 (2005) Case Summary of Van Orden v. Perry: Thomas Van Orden sued the State of Texas in federal court, claiming that a monument of the Ten Commandments sitting on the grounds of the State capitol building violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. Both the federal district court […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Epperson v. Arkansas, 393 U.S. 97 (1968) Case Summary of Epperson v. Arkansas: The State of Arkansas passed a law in 1928 that made it a criminal offense to teach evolution in public schools A teacher, Epperson, in the 1965-66 term was told to teach from a new textbook that had a chapter on […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for NAACP v. Alabama, 357 U.S. 449 (1958) Case Summary of NAACP v. Alabama: The State of Alabama had a business statute that required foreign corporations to qualify with State officials before doing business in the State. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a non-profit corporation created in New York. […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, 530 U.S. 640 (2000) Case Summary of Boy Scouts of America v. Dale: James Dale was a Boy Scout from the age of 8. He was an exemplary Scout and eventually became an Eagle Scout. He was accepted in the Scouts as an adult scoutmaster until the Boy […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Arizona v. United States, 567 U.S. 387 (2012) Case Summary of Arizona v. United States: The State of Arizona passed a State immigration law in 2010, responding to the problem of illegal immigration in the State. The United States sued in federal court to enjoin enforcement of the law. The federal district court enjoined […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Elonis v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 2001 (2015) Case Summary of Elonis v. United States: Anthony Elonis, whose wife and family just left him, started writing violent rap lyrics on Facebook. The lyrics were perceived as threats by his wife, his employer, a kindergarten class, and the FBI. He was charged with the […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Washington v. Glucksberg, 521 U.S. 702 (1997) Case Summary of Washington v. Glucksberg: Four doctors, three terminally ill patients, and a non-profit group brought a suit challenging the State of Washington’s ban on physician-assisted suicide. They argued that the ban was unconstitutional because it violated due process. The District Court and Ninth Circuit Court […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Ingraham v. Wright, 430 U.S. 651 (1977) Case Summary of Ingraham v. Wright: Corporal punishment was allowed in Florida schools, provided that the punishment was not “degrading or unduly severe.” Two students at a Florida middle school were subjected to particularly harsh corporal punishment. Families of the students filed a federal suit against the […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for INS v. Chadha, 462 U.S. 919 (1983) Case Summary of INS v. Chadha: Respondent Chadha overstayed his visa in the U.S. Although he was deportable, the Attorney General allowed certain deportable immigrants to remain in the U.S., including Chadha. A federal immigration law, however, gave either chamber of Congress the ability to veto an […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Abington Tp. v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963) Case Summary of Abington Tp. v. Schempp: This case involves two companion cases, one from Pennsylvania and the other from Maryland. Both Pennsylvania and Maryland passed laws requiring readings from the Holy Bible in public school at the opening of school each day. The Maryland law […]
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