How the Courts Address or Respect Our Rights as Citizens

at
Categories
Tags

 

 

Choose a Federal Supreme Court case that originated in your state that involves civil rights or civil liberties that was heard by the United States Supreme Court, and a decision was rendered. If your state does not have a case that was decided by the United States Supreme Court, choose a civil rights case from another state for which the United States Supreme Court issued a decision.

Here is a brief description of civil rights and civil liberties: Civil rights refers to equal social opportunities under the law. It gives you these freedoms, such as the right to vote, the right to public education, or a fair trial, among other things, regardless of your wealth or race. Civil liberties mean freedom of religion, equal treatment and due process under the law, and the right to privacy.

You should be able to go online and look up your state and famous cases decided by the Supreme Court. For example, Brown v Board of Education (1951) started in Topeka, Kansas, and ended up in the Supreme Court of the United States. Another example would be Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley v Steve Sisolak, Governor of Nevada (2020), which started in Nevada and ended up in the United States Supreme Court. A good source of information about cases decided by the United States Supreme Court is www.scotusblog.com, www.justia.com, or www.oyez.org.

Some other examples of cases include Lau v Nichols, Tinker v Des Moines Independent Community School District, Terry v Ohio, Regents of California v Bakke, Schenck v United States, Plessy v Ferguson, Shelley v Kraemer, Texas v Johnson, Ysleta del Sur Pueblo v Texas, Korematsu v United States, Obergefell v Hodges, Laird v Tatum and Loving v Virginia.

Sample Solution

Resources to Find Cases:

Search Tips:

  • Use the search bar on these websites and enter keywords like “civil rights,” “civil liberties,” and your state name (if applicable).
  • Browse the website sections related to landmark cases or specific amendments (e.g., First Amendment).

Examples of Civil Rights and Liberties Cases:

  • Brown v. Board of Education (1954): This landmark case originated in Kansas and challenged racial segregation in public schools, ultimately leading to its abolishment.
  • Loving v. Virginia (1967): This case from Virginia struck down laws prohibiting interracial marriage.
  • Gideon v. Wainwright (1963): This case originating in Florida established the right to an attorney for criminal defendants who cannot afford one.
  • Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969): This case from Iowa protected students’ right to wear symbolic speech (e.g., armbands) in protest.
  • Obergefell v. Hodges (2015): This case legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

If you cannot find a case from your state, you can choose one from the examples above or another case that interests you. Once you’ve selected a case, you can use the resources mentioned earlier to learn more about the details, including:

  • Facts of the case
  • Legal questions presented
  • Court’s decision and reasoning
  • Impact of the case

By researching these aspects, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of a significant civil rights or liberties case decided by the Supreme Court.

This question has been answered.

Get Answer