The Law Dictionary for Everyone
Following is the case brief for Calder v. Bull, 3 U.S. 386 (1798) Case Summary of Calder v. Bull: A probate court denied the Bulls inheritance, allowing Calder to inherit instead. The Connecticut legislature then passed a resolution, allowing for a new probate trial and right of appeal. Calder argued that the resolution violated the Constitution’s prohibition on ex post […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Illinois v. Caballes, 543 U.S. 405 (2005) Case Summary of Illinois v. Caballes: A state trooper stopped Caballes for speeding. Another trooper overheard the stop called over the radio. The second trooper went to the location of the stop with a drug-detection dog and walked the dog around Caballes’ car, while the first trooper […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Montgomery v. Louisiana, 136 S. Ct. 718 (2016) Case Summary of Montgomery v. Louisiana: In 1963, 17-year-old Montgomery killed a deputy sheriff in Louisiana. He was convicted and received a mandatory life-without-parole sentence. In 2012, the Supreme Court decided Miller v. Alabama, which held that a mandatory life-without-parole sentence for a juvenile violates the […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Thompson v. Oklahoma, 487 U.S. 815 (1988) Case Summary of Thompson v. Oklahoma: Petitioner Thompson was age 15 when he participated in a murder. He was tried as an adult and eventually sentenced to death. The State appeals court affirmed the conviction and sentence. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, vacated the sentence and remanded […]
Read moreThe 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution addresses the subject of presidential succession. It establishes procedures for filling presidential and vice-presidential vacancies in the event of disability, death, resignation, or removal. The states ratified the amendment on February 10, 1967. To explore this concept, consider the following 25th Amendment definition. Definition of 25th Amendment Noun An amendment to the U.S. […]
Read moreThe supermajority meaning is the requirement for a particular measure or legislation to receive significantly more than half of the votes in order for the measure to pass. For example, a supermajority can refer to a three-fifths or two-thirds vote. What this means is that, if two-thirds or three-fifths of the votes cast are in support of a measure to […]
Read moreZone of privacy refers to the areas or situations in which an individual has an expectation of privacy. This concept also provides an individual with some level of control over personal information. Zone of privacy examples include an individual’s right to feel secure in their person, home, or papers. To explore this concept, consider the following zone of privacy definition. Definition of Zone of Privacy Noun An area or […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Safford Unified School District v. Redding, 557 U.S. 364 (2009) Case Summary of Safford Unified School District v. Redding: The Safford middle school Assistant Principal suspected 13-year-old Redding of possessing pain relief pills. After searching her belongings, he directed two female school officials to strip search Redding. The search yielded no pills. Redding’s family […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for United States v. O’Brien, 391 U.S. 367 (1968) Case Summary of United States v. O’Brien: Respondent O’Brien burned his draft card to protest the Vietnam War. He was ultimately convicted of violating a federal law, making it a crime to “knowingly destroy” a draft card. The District Court rejected O’Brien’s argument that the law […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Minnesota v. Dickerson, 508 U.S. 366 (1993) Case Summary of Minnesota v. Dickerson: Dickerson left a building known for drug trafficking and was stopped by police. The officer conducted a Terry stop and frisk. He felt a lump in Dickerson’s pocket. He manipulated the lump further in the pocket to determine that it was […]
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