The Law Dictionary for Everyone
Following is the case brief for Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005). Case Summary of Roper v. Simmons: Simmons, age 17, planned and committed a capital murder. He was sentenced to death. His direct appeal and petitions for relief were rejected. When the Supreme Court decided Atkins v. Virginia in 2002 (barring executions for the mentally disabled), Simmons filed a new […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Pennoyer v. Neff, 95 U.S. 714 (1878). Case Summary of Pennoyer v. Neff: An attorney, Mitchell, sued Neff in Oregon state court. Neff did not live in Oregon. Mitchell served notice of the suit by publication, not by personal service. Once Mitchell received a default judgment against Neff, Mitchell sold property Neff owned in Oregon […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for United States v. Windsor, United States Supreme Court, (2013) Case Summary of United States v. Windsor Windsor and Spyer were legally married and moved to New York, a state which recognized their same-sex marriage. Spyer died, leaving her estate to Windsor. Windsor was denied a federal tax exemption due to the fact the couple […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Garcetti v. Ceballos, United States Supreme Court, (2005) Case Summary for Garcetti v. Ceballos: Ceballos worked for the government, employed as a deputy district attorney. Ceballos was called by the defense to testify to the authenticity of an affidavit which he previously thought may be inaccurate. After testifying he was subject to discipline. Ceballos […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347 (1967). Case Summary of Katz v. United States: The FBI, using a device attached to the outside of a telephone booth, recorded petitioner’s phone conversations while in the enclosed booth. Petitioner was subsequently convicted of making wagering calls in violation of federal law. The FBI’s recordings were used as […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Brady v. Maryland, United States Supreme Court, (1963) Case Summary of Brady v. Maryland: Brady was convicted of murder and sentenced to death after the prosecution withheld a statement by Boblit in which Boblit confessed to the killing. Brady then appealed to the court of appeals claiming that suppressing the statement violated his Constitutional […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Riley v. California, Supreme Court of the United States, (2014) Case Summary of Riley v. California: Riley was convicted of a shooting related offense after evidence seized from his cell phone (incident to his arrest) was used against him in court. Riley filed a motion to suppress which was denied and later appealed to […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Furman v. Georgia, United States Supreme Court, (1972) Case Summary of Furman v. Georgia: Furman was convicted and sentenced to the death penalty. Furman, along with defendants similarly situated, appealed the lower courts decisions, claiming that the death penalty violated the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. In a per curium opinion, the Supreme Court […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507 (2004). Case Summary of Hamdi v. Rumsfeld: Hamdi, a U.S. citizen, was captured in Afghanistan while presumably fighting for the Taliban. The U.S. Government detained him as an “enemy combatant.” Hamdi was indefinitely detained in the U.S. without charges and without access to legal counsel. The District Court hearing […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Chimel v. California, United States Supreme Court, (1969) Case Summary of Chimel v. California: Pursuant to a valid arrest warrant, Chimel was arrested in his home after his wife permitted officers to enter. Incident to arrest and absent a search warrant, the officers searched the whole house resulting in the discovery of coins which […]
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