The Law Dictionary for Everyone
Following is the case brief for Smith v. Allwright, 321 U.S. 649 (1944) Case Summary of Smith v. Allwright: The Democratic Party in the State of Texas only allowed white people to vote in Democratic primaries. Smith, a black Texas voter, sued the county election official, Allwright, for damages of $5,000 for denying him the right to vote in the […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Dickerson v. United States, 530 U.S. 428 (2000). Case Summary of Dickerson v. United States: Petitioner, prior to his criminal trial, moved to suppress a statement he made because he was never given his Miranda warnings. The District Court granted the motion. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed. The Fourth Circuit held that the […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992). Case Summary of Planned Parenthood v. Casey: Several of Pennsylvania’s statutory abortion provisions were challenged in federal court. Those provisions included requirements of informed consent, a 24-hour waiting period, parental consent for minors seeking abortions, and spousal notification. In reviewing the provisions, the U.S. […]
Read moreThe Latin term stare decisis refers to the doctrine of precedent, which obliges judges to make certain court decisions according to previous rulings made by a higher court in the same type of case. The purpose of stare decisis is to promote consistent, predictable rulings on cases of similar nature. While prior decisions often become precedent in the U.S., adherence […]
Read moreCivil law is a body of rules that defines and protects the private rights of citizens, offers legal remedies that may be sought in a dispute, and covers areas of law such as contracts, torts, property and family law. Civil law is derived from the laws of ancient Rome which used doctrines to develop a code that determined how legal […]
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