The Law Dictionary for Everyone
Following is the case brief for Lau v. Nichols, 414 U.S. 563 (1974) Case Summary of Lau v. Nichols: Following the integration of public schools in San Francisco, almost 3,000 students of Chinese descent attended school without the ability to understand English. The school system provided special English instruction for only about 1,000 Chinese students. Several Chinese students brought a […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Strauder v. West Virginia, 100 U.S. 303 (1880) Case Summary of Strauder v. West Virginia: West Virginia had a law that declared that only white men may serve on juries. Strauder, an African-American who was indicted for murder, sought to remove his trial to federal court because West Virginia’s law was unconstitutional. The state […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Stanley v. Georgia, 394 U.S. 557 (1969) Case Summary of Stanley v. Georgia: Police obtained a warrant to search Stanley’s home for evidence of bookmaking activities. Police then came across an obscene film, and they seized it. Stanley was later convicted criminally for possessing the obscene material, and the Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Munn v. Illinois, 94 U.S. 113 (1876) Case Summary of Munn v. Illinois: The State of Illinois passed legislation to regulate the warehousing and inspection of grain. Petitioners were charged and convicted criminally for violating Illinois’ regulations. The Illinois Supreme Court affirmed the convictions. Petitioners appealed, alleging that the regulations violated the Fourteenth Amendment […]
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 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 moreFollowing is the case brief for Buck v. Bell, 274 U.S. 200 (1927) Case Summary of Buck v. Bell: A Virginia statute allowed for the forced sterilization of “feeble minded” people to protect the “health of the state.” Carrie Buck, who was mentally disabled, as was her mother and daughter, was ordered to be sterilized pursuant to the statute. Buck […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for McKeiver v. Pennsylvania, 403 U.S. 528 (1971) Case Summary of McKeiver v. Pennsylvania: A number of juveniles in Pennsylvania and North Carolina were adjudicated delinquent on charges that would be criminal offenses if committed by an adult. The courts in all of the cases denied the juveniles a jury trial. The Supreme Courts of […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Bradwell v. The State, 83 U.S. 130 (1872) Case Summary of Bradwell v. The State: Myra Bradwell applied for a law license in the State of Illinois. Her application was denied up through the Supreme Court of Illinois. On appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court affirmed the denial of her license. The […]
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 more
