U.S. v. Lopez 514 U.S. 549 (1995), Vote of 5 to 4, Rehnquist for the court. Congress in 1990 enacted the Gun-Free School Zone Act, making it a federal offence to possess a firearm in a school zone. Congress relied on the authority of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution to justify passage of legislation as a way of stemming the rising tide of gun related incidents in public schools. In 1992 Alfonso Lopez, Jr. was a senior at Edison High School in San Antonio, Texas. Acting on an anonymous tip
Supreme Court Justice Anthony McLeod Kennedy (born July 23, 1936) recently turned 75. Justice Kennedy is considered the “swing vote” on the current Supreme Court. He recently told acquaintances that he does not plan on leaving the Court any time soon (DeFrank). We tend to hold justices in high esteem; that they are superior in knowledge, wisdom, and fairness but, the truth is, they have faults and imperfections just like the rest of us. Our Constitution allows our justices to sit on the Court for
woman on the High Court, but they were disappointed in O'Connor's apparent lack of strong support for feminist issues. In time, however, O'Connor has come to answer all these criticisms. O'Connor has emerged from the shadow of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and the Court's conservative bloc with her own brand of pragmatic and centrist-oriented conservatism. Even those liberals who branded her a "traitor" in her early years for compromising on abortion rights, now appreciate her efforts to keep
DeShaney v. Winnebago County was a landmark Supreme Court Case which was ruled on in February, 1989. The case revolved around Joshua DeShaney, a child who who was reportedly abused by his father, Randy DeShaney. In 1980, Joshua's parents divorced and his father won full custody. In 1983, Joshua was hospitalized for suspected abuse by his father. Winnebago County Department of Social Services got involved and four year old Joshua DeShaney was kept in the hospital's custody for three days. However
The structural layout and functions of the Supreme Court are some of the most unique aspects to any court system. Of these, the tenure of a Supreme justice in the court is perhaps the most distinctive. Supreme justices once appointed, serve a tenure term for life or until retirement that would make any professional envious. This privilege serves many purposes, both bad and good that are essential to a justice’s ability to interpret the law of the constitution without conviction. Much has been debated
harassment." Suders said one of the supervisors Sergeant Eric D. Easton, talked to her repeatedly about sex with animals. The second, Corporal Eric B. Prendergast sat on her desk and made gestures simulating oral sex. The third, Patrol Corporal William D. Baker made obscene gestures as many as five or ten times a night. In June 1998, Suders spoke to PSP's Equal Employment Opportunities Officer, Virginia Smith-Elliot, and told her that she "might need some help." Two months later Suders contacted
President of the American Bar Association." Esquilax Productions: The Flag-Burning Page. http://www.esquilax.com/flag/news9.html (11 Nov. 1998). Wall, James M. "The Dynamics of Flag-Burning." The Christian Century 106 (1989): 643-44. "Where is the Rehnquist Court Headed?" Harper's June 1989: 35-39, 42, 44-47. "Who's Desecrating the Flag?" The Christian Century 84 (1967): 771-72.
Abortion is a topic that many don’t want to discuss. It’s a very personal decision that many women have to make each day, but in certain states, getting an abortion was becoming an even more difficult process. Not only did women have to decide to get an abortion that alone is a difficult choice, they now had to wait 24 hours, minors had to get consent, and/or inform the father of the child. But after all of this process, what if a woman couldn’t receive all of this? Would she be denied her right
Prayer at Public School Athletic Events -Can We Get a Moment of- -Silence Here?- If public schools are just that, public, then why is the issue of prayer in school such a prominent and controversial debate especially when most of the public wants prayer in school? The first amendment grants the right to free speech, yet everyday students are punished and ridiculed for their beliefs. Is this a fair system? Every person has his or her own rituals and for many students prayer is one of them. Agreeing
Her little boy wasn't expected to make it through the night, the voice on the line said (“Determined to be heard”). Joshua Deshaney had been hospitalized in a life threatening coma after being brutally beat up by his father, Randy Deshaney. Randy had a history of abuse to his son prior to this event and had been working with the Department of Social Services to keep custody over his son. The court case was filed by Joshua's mother, Melody Deshaney, who was suing the DSS employees on behalf of
States (US) and "us" the tax payers are being taken advantage of and it is time that those in power begin to notice. Linda Greenhouse, in a New York Times article, cites one of the few to become aware of this problem. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist feels, "prisoners often squander judicial resources with little offsetting benefit to anyone." Our Supreme Court Chief Justice has realized this shortcoming, and it is about time the rest of "us" wake-up too. For over a decade our legislative
court. If not, how can one explain, how issues such as homosexuality or healthcare that have for so many years been avoided and dodged by the Supreme Court, could finally be argued for or against in front of the court? Former Chief Justice William Rehnquist believed that the Constitution was framed with a language that allows for us to interpret it or amend it as new world affairs or social trends arise. He once said “Where the framers of the Constitution have used general language, they have given
• Facts of the case: Wards Cove Packing Company had two types of jobs available. There were the unskilled cannery jobs and then there were the non-cannery jobs which were classified as skilled positions. The cannery jobs were filled predominately by nonwhites, and the non-cannery skilled positions were filled with mainly white workers. The cannery and non-cannery jobs were put in separate housing, and the non-cannery positions were paid more than the cannery positions. A group of nonwhite cannery
The Texas vs Johnson case didn't drastically change the way people viewed things. Yes, the trial caused a lot of uproar, especially in Texas because of its patriotism, but it wasn't a case in which a law or amendment needed to be changed but rather was a case in which an amendment needed to be understood. Johnson’s act of burning the American flag in front of Dallas City Hall, in order to protest the Reagan administration during the Republican National Convention, was deemed as a sign of “symbolic”
Roe v Wade is a famous trial that made abortion within the first trimester of pregnancy legal nationwide. The final jurisdiction of the trial took place in 1973, a time when women had to fight especially hard for their rights and freedoms. The Supreme Court looked at three different cases, all centered around abortion. The parties included plaintiffs Jane Roe (Norma Leah McCorvey), husband and wife John and Mary Doe (David and Marsha King), and Dr. James Hubert Hallford; the defendant was Texas in
Anthony Kennedy is known for his conservative views while having a sided decision that focuses on individual rights, Kennedy join the U.S Court of Appeals in the 70’s and in 1988 in which he was appointed by Ronald Reagan. As a young boy he became in contact with prominent politicians and developed affinity for world of government and public service. Kennedy grew up around law at an early age because his father work his way through law school to build a substantial practice as a lawyer, while his
Sandra Day O'Connor was born March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas to Harry and Ada Mae, who owned the Lazy-B-Cattle Ranch in southeastern Arizona, where she grew up. She experienced a challenging life on the ranch in her early childhood. Until she was seven, the ranch itself did not receive electricity or running water. The family spent their days in isolation mostly since their nearest neighbors lived 25 miles away. Sandra was sent to live with her grandmother in El Paso because the isolated ranch
way” (Levendosky). If you are allowed to buy a cross and go home and burn it why should you be held to a law that is the same as that. Making a flag more than what it should be is what is making the argument such a big deal. “Chief Justice William Rehnquist, in a dissent fifteen years ago, when the Court refused to hold flag burning a crime, wrote that "the true nature of the state's interest in this case is not only one of preserving 'the physical integrity of the flag' but also one of preserving
By the second half of the 20th century, as more federal laws protected against gender discrimination and the national zeitgeist turned more towards gender equality in the public sphere, decisions in landmark Supreme Court cases began striking down more statutes that were discriminatory based on gender. However, for a while the Court refused to place a higher level of scrutiny on claims of gender discrimination under the Equal Protection Clause. In 1971, the Supreme Court examined a challenge to the
First, I would like to talk about the history of the Pledge of Allegiance. Many people today recite the Pledge of Allegiance but do not know the history that took place behind it. The Pledge of Allegiance was originally written more than a century ago. The original pledge was: I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic, for which it stands, one Nation, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all . The flag serves as a symbol of our country and its proud traditions of freedom and equal opportunity