The Law Dictionary for Everyone
Following is the case brief for Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado, 137 S. Ct. 855 (2017) Case Summary of Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado: Petitioner Pena-Rodriguez was convicted of harassment and unlawful sexual contact by a Colorado jury. After the jury was dismissed, two jurors informed defense counsel that another juror had a racial bias against petitioner and his alibi witness, who was also […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc., 418 U.S. 323 (1974) Case Summary of Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.: A Chicago police officer killed someone, and the victim’s family sued in civil court. The family hired Gertz as their lawyer. A magazine published false statements about Gertz, including calling him a “communist” for representing the family […]
Read moreThe term “freedom of assembly” refers to the right of the people to peacefully organize without having to fear government interference. For example, freedom of assembly refers to an individual’s right to join a protest without having to fear the government shutting the protest down. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects individuals who wish to assemble in order […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Town of Greece v. Galloway, 134 U.S. 1811 (2014) Case Summary of Town of Greece v. Galloway: The Town of Greece, for over a decade, began its town hall meetings with a prayer. The prayers, given by someone from a house of worship in the town, were virtually always Christian prayers. Citizens of the […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Stanford v. Kentucky, 492 U.S. 361 (1989) Case Summary of Stanford v. Kentucky: Kevin Sanford, 17, committed a horrible rape and murder in Kentucky. Heath Wilkins, 16, committed a similarly horrible murder in Missouri. Both individuals were sentenced to death. The Kentucky and Missouri Supreme Courts affirmed the death penalty in their respective cases. […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for McCullen v. Coakley, 134 S. Ct. 2518 (2014) Case Summary of McCullen v. Coakley: Massachusetts law made it a crime to stand within 35 feet of an abortion clinic, unless you were an employee. Petitioners are people who approach women outside clinics, trying to dissuade them from having abortions. The law prevents them from […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Rodriguez v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 1609 (2015) Case Summary of Rodriguez v. United States: A police officer stopped petitioner Rodriguez for driving on the shoulder of a highway. Once the officer completed the process of the traffic stop and issued a warning, he asked Rodriguez if he could walk his K-9 dog […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Pickering v. Board of Education, 391 U.S. 563 (1968) Case Summary of Pickering v. Board of Education: The Board of Education fired a teacher for a letter he wrote that was published in the local newspaper. The teacher sued, claiming that his letter was protected by the First Amendment. The Board countered that his […]
Read moreThe term “seizure,” in the legal sense, can mean two things. Seizure examples can include the legal or forceful taking of something, such as evidence from a crime scene. Another seizure example is the act of physically overtaking or removing a person or object. To explore this concept, consider the following seizure definition. Definition of Seizure Noun The act of […]
Read moreThe Lemon Test is a test courts use to determine whether governmental action violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution. For example, the Lemon Test is a court’s tool used to rule on whether the government tried to prohibit the freedom of religious expression. Courts can also use the Test to determine whether the government attempted […]
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