Facts of the Case In 1981, police officers in Burbank, California, obtained a search warrant to investigate Alberto Leon and others suspected of drug trafficking. The warrant was based on an affidavit provided by an informant, leading officers to conduct surveillance and eventually find large quantities of illegal drugs. Leon was indicted for federal drug […]
Author: jonesteaches
Brady v. Maryland, Supreme Court, 1963
Facts of the Case In 1958, John Brady and Charles Boblit were both convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death for the killing of William Brooks during a robbery in Maryland. Brady admitted his involvement in the robbery but claimed that Boblit was the one who actually committed the murder. During Brady’s trial, his […]
United States v. Cruikshank, 1876
Facts of the Case The Colfax Massacre of 1873 in Louisiana, where a white mob killed over 100 African Americans, led to federal charges under the Enforcement Act of 1870. The Act was meant to protect citizens’ constitutional rights, including the right to vote, the right to assemble, and the right to bear arms. William […]
Brandenburg v. Ohio, 1969
Facts of the Case Clarence Brandenburg, a leader of the Ku Klux Klan in Ohio, was convicted under the state’s criminal syndicalism law after giving a speech at a Klan rally. In his speech, Brandenburg made derogatory statements about minorities and suggested that “revengeance” might be necessary if the government continued to suppress the white […]
Lemon v. Kurtzman, Supreme Court, 1971
Facts of the Case Lemon v. Kurtzman involved challenges to state laws in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island that provided financial aid to religious schools. In Pennsylvania, the law allowed the state to reimburse religious schools for expenses related to teachers’ salaries, textbooks, and instructional materials in subjects that were also taught in public schools. In […]
Van Orden v. Perry, Supreme Court, 2005
Facts of the Case Thomas Van Orden, a Texas resident, challenged the constitutionality of a Ten Commandments monument that was located on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol in Austin. The monument, which had been donated by the Fraternal Order of Eagles in 1961, was one of several monuments on the Capitol grounds. Van […]
Town of Greece v. Galloway, Supreme Court, 2014
Facts of the Case The town of Greece, New York, began its monthly town board meetings with a prayer delivered by invited clergy. While the prayers were predominantly Christian, the town did not exclude other faiths, and on occasion, non-Christian clergy were invited. Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens, residents of Greece, filed a lawsuit arguing […]
Maryland families say LGBTQ school readings violate religious beliefs
by Nicole Asbury – Aug 2023 Montgomery County’s mandate that students read books with LGBTQ characters forces religious families either to forfeit their beliefs or depart the public school system, lawyers for Muslim and Christian families suing the district said during oral arguments Wednesday at the U.S. District Court for Maryland in Greenbelt. They are […]
New law requires all Louisiana public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments
By Sara Cline, Associated Press Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom, the latest move from a GOP-dominated Legislature pushing a conservative agenda under a new governor. The legislation that Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law on Wednesday requires a poster-sized display of […]
The Satanic Temple v. Saucon Valley School District, 2023 (settled)
Case Summary by Plaintiff: American Civil Liberties Union The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, alleges that the SVSD’s refusal to grant the ASSC equal access to school facilities gives a “heckler’s veto” to those who dislike the group’s religious viewpoint, even though the Free Speech Clause of […]