The Law Dictionary for Everyone
Following is the case brief for Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806 (1996) Case Summary of Whren v. United States: Undercover officers observed Petitioners Whren and Brown in a truck. The driver of the truck (Brown) violated traffic laws by suddenly pulling away at an unreasonable speed. The officers stopped the truck and, upon approaching the truck on foot, […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668 (1984) Case Summary of Lynch v. Donnelly: The City of Pawtucket has displayed a creche (Nativity scene) for the last 40 years as part of its annual Christmas display in the center of town. Respondents challenged the creche display as a violation of the Establishment Clause of the […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife, 504 U.S. 555 (1992) Case Summary of Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife: The Secretary of the Interior changed the geographic scope of the Endangered Species Act to only include activities in the United States and the high seas. Several environmental groups sued to have the old geographic scope reinstated. […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 17 U.S. 518 (1819) Case Summary of Trustees of Dartmouth v. Woodward: Dartmouth College received its charter from the British Crown before the American Revolution. After the Revolution, the State of New Hampshire altered the charter to take control over the college. The Trustees sued to maintain private […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Sheppard v. Maxwell, 384 U.S. 333 (1966) Case Summary of Sheppard v. Maxwell: Sheppard was accused of killing his pregnant wife. He maintained his innocence, but the case became very highly publicized, clearly characterizing Sheppard as the killer. The publicity was so intense, in fact, that numerous incriminating stories were written about it, and […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul, 505 U.S. 377 (1992) Case Summary of R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul: R.A.V. and other teenagers burned a cross on an African-American family’s lawn. R.A.V. was charged under St. Paul’s hate-crime ordinance, and he challenged the constitutionality of the ordinance. The trial court found the ordinance violative […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Murr v. Wisconsin, 137 S. Ct. 1933 (2017) Case Summary of Murr v. Wisconsin: Petitioners received two adjacent lots of land from their parents at two different times. They wanted to sell one lot, but a Wisconsin regulation prohibited the sale of the one lot. That was because the lot was adjacent to the […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Washington v. Davis, 426 U.S. 229 (1976) Case Summary of Washington v. Davis: Four times as many African-Americans failed a District of Columbia Police Department officer-qualifying test compared to whites. Two African-Americans who failed the test sued in federal court, claiming that the test violated the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. The […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97 (1976) Case Summary of Estelle v. Gamble: Respondent Gamble was seriously injured while doing prison work. He was seen 17 times by prison medical personnel, but his injuries persisted. Moreover, prison officials were not consistent in ensuring Gamble had his medications. They even put Gamble in solitary confinement, […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Wickard v. Filburn, 317 U.S. 111 (1942) Case Summary of Wickard v. Filburn: The Agriculture Adjustment Act of 1938 and its 1941 amendments, established quotas for wheat production. Penalties were imposed if a farmer exceeded the quotas. The Act was passed under Congress’ Commerce Clause power. Roscoe Filburn, produced twice as much wheat than […]
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