Plessy v. Ferguson, Supreme Court, 1896 Facts of the Case In 1892, Homer Plessy, who was seven-eighths white and one-eighth black, deliberately violated Louisiana’s Separate Car Act, which mandated separate railway cars for whites and blacks. Plessy sat in a “whites-only” car and was arrested when he refused to move to a car designated for […]

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Supreme Court, 2022 Facts of the Case In 2018, the state of Mississippi enacted the Gestational Age Act, which banned most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, significantly earlier than the viability standard established by Roe v. Wade and affirmed by Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, […]

Griswold v. Connecticut, Supreme Court, 1965 Facts of the Case Estelle Griswold, the Executive Director of the Planned Parenthood League of Connecticut, and Dr. C. Lee Buxton, a physician and professor at Yale Medical School, were arrested and convicted for providing contraceptive advice and devices to married couples. Their actions violated a Connecticut law that […]

Pierce v. Society of Sisters, Supreme Court, 1925 Facts of the Case In 1922, the state of Oregon passed the Compulsory Education Act, which required all children between the ages of eight and sixteen to attend public schools. The law effectively banned private and parochial schools. The Society of the Sisters of the Holy Names […]

Miranda v. Arizona, Supreme Court, 1966 Facts of the Case Ernesto Miranda was arrested in 1963 on charges of kidnapping and rape. After being taken into custody and interrogated by police, Miranda confessed to the crimes. However, he was not informed of his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination or his Sixth Amendment right to an […]

Mapp v. Ohio, Supreme Court, 1961 Facts of the Case Dollree Mapp was suspected of harboring a fugitive, and police officers in Cleveland, Ohio, forcibly entered her home without a proper search warrant. During their search, they did not find the fugitive but discovered obscene materials, which were illegal under Ohio state law. Mapp was […]

Weeks v. United States, Supreme Court, 1914 Facts of the Case Fremont Weeks was arrested by federal agents at his place of employment for using the mail to transport lottery tickets, which was illegal under federal law. Without a search warrant, federal officers entered Weeks’s home and seized papers and letters that were later used […]

Riley v. California, Supreme Court, 2014 Facts of the Case David Leon Riley was stopped by police for a traffic violation, which led to his arrest on weapons charges. During the arrest, police seized Riley’s smartphone and searched its contents without a warrant. The search revealed evidence linking Riley to a shooting, and he was […]

District of Columbia v. Heller, Supreme Court, 2008 Facts of the Case Dick Anthony Heller, a special police officer in Washington, D.C., applied for a license to keep a handgun at home for self-defense. His application was denied under the District of Columbia’s stringent gun control laws, which effectively banned the possession of handguns and […]

Reynolds v. United States, Supreme Court, 1879 Facts of the Case George Reynolds, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), was charged with bigamy under the federal Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act after marrying a second wife. Reynolds argued that his religious duty, as practiced by the LDS Church, required him […]