The Law Dictionary for Everyone
Following is the case brief for Clinton v. Jones, 520 U.S. 681 (1997) Case Summary of Clinton v. Jones: Paula Jones filed a sexual harassment claim in federal district court against President Bill Clinton for acts alleged to have occurred when Clinton was still Governor of Arkansas. The district court denied the President’s motion to dismiss on grounds of presidential […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984) Case Summary of Strickland v. Washington: Defendant Washington was arrested for a number of crimes he committed in a 10-day crime spree. He ultimately pleaded guilty. At sentencing, the defendant’s attorney did not obtain character witnesses or order a pre-sentence report. The judge then sentenced the defendant […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Utah v. Strieff, 136 S. Ct. 2056 (2016) Case Summary of Utah v. Strieff: A police officer, suspecting that a house was being used for drug transactions, stopped Strieff when he walked out of the house. The officer asked for identification. When Strieff provided it, the officer ran a check on his name, discovering […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, 492 U.S. 490 (1989) Case Summary of Webster v. Reproductive Health Services: The State of Missouri enacted a law restricting abortions. Four sections of the law most relevant were: (i) a preamble stating that life begins at conception; (ii) a restriction on the use of public facilities for abortions […]
Read moreThe doctrine of “separate but equal” supported the idea of races being separate, so long as they received “equal” facilities and treatment to that which the whites had or received. For example, separate but equal dictated that blacks and whites use separate water fountains, schools, and even medical care. However, because blacks had, say, their own water fountains, then they […]
Read moreThe term “Bill of Attainder” refers to the act of declaring a group of people guilty of a crime, and punishing them for it, usually without a trial. Officials have used bills of attainder to strip individuals of everything from their property to their lives. For example, bills of attainder caused the famous executions of several people by the English […]
Read moreThe term “ex post facto” translates to “out of the aftermath,” or “from a thing done afterward.” In the legal world, the term refers to the punishing of an act that was once legal, but is now criminal. For example, ex post facto laws can either create new penalties for a particular action or extend sentences already issued. To explore […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Betts v. Brady, 316 U.S. 455 (1942) Case Summary of Betts v. Brady: The State of Maryland indicted Betts for robbery. Betts could not afford an attorney and asked the court to appoint counsel for him. The court refused, and Betts represented himself at his robbery trial. Betts was ultimately convicted and sentenced to […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Roth v. United States, 354 U.S. 476 (1957) Case Summary of Roth v. United States: This case consolidates two criminal convictions for obscenity. In the Roth case, a publisher was prosecuted under a federal law, which made it a crime to mail an obscene book. In the Alberts case, a man was prosecuted under […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union, 521 U.S. 844 (1997) Case Summary of Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union: Congress passed the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA) to protect minors from harmful material on the Internet. Two provisions of the CDA were challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other plaintiffs. […]
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