The Law Dictionary for Everyone
Following is the case brief for Worcester v. Georgia, 31 U.S. 515 (1832) Case Summary of Worcester v. Georgia: Worcester, and a group of missionaries, did missionary work on Cherokee land in violation of Georgia law. The Georgia law required that “white persons” only enter Cherokee land with a license and after having sworn a loyalty oath to Georgia. Worcester […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Korematsu v. United States, 323 U.S. 214 (1944) Case Summary of Korematsu v. United States: President Roosevelt’s Executive Order, in response to Pearl Harbor, called for the detention of American citizens of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast of the U.S. Mr. Korematsu, an American citizen of Japanese ancestry, violated one particular order pursuant […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Obergefell v. Hodges, 135 S. Ct. 2534 (2015) Case Summary of Obergefell v. Hodges: Petitioners, a number of same-sex couples, sued four states that denied marriage licenses to those couples because those states defined marriage as being a union between one man and one woman. Petitioners won in all of the federal district courts […]
Read moreThe term “sovereignty” is used to refer to a state’s ability to govern either itself or another state. It can also be used to describe a supreme influence or authority. For example, sovereignty is used to describe the power that a monarchy has over its people, or that a state has with regard to creating its own laws. To explore […]
Read moreThe term “pro tempore” is a term that is used to describe an individual who is acting locum tenens, or as a placeholder of sorts, when a superior is not present. Pro tempore translates to “for the time being,” which describes the length of time during which an individual acts in a particular role. For example, pro tempore senate presidents […]
Read moreThe term “5th Amendment” refers to the more well-known aspect of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states that no one can be forced to testify against himself in court. The 5th Amendment also ensures that no one can be tried a second time for a crime of which they were already acquitted. This is referred to as […]
Read moreThe War Powers Act, also referred to as the “War Powers Resolution,” or the “War Powers Resolution of 1973,” is a federal law that governs the president’s power to bring the U.S. into an armed conflict without first obtaining authorization from Congress. The President can make the executive decision to engage the military without Congress’ consent in situations authorized by […]
Read moreThe Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) gives the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) the power to control hazardous waste, from the beginning of a process to the end, when it is disposed of. This means that the EPA has a hand in the transportation, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste products. The RCRA also provides guidelines insofar as managing non-hazardous […]
Read moreThe plain view doctrine allows a police officer to take any evidence of a crime or contraband that is found in plain sight during a normal observation. The police officer does not need a warrant in such a case to collect that evidence. For example, the plain view doctrine is used often during screenings of passengers at U.S. airports by […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Rakas v. Illinois, 439 U.S. 128 (1978) Case Summary of Rakas v. Illinois: Police stopped a car after receiving a radio call that it may have been involved in a robbery. The officer searched the car after having petitioners, who were passengers in the car, step out. Evidence of the robbery was found in […]
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