Citation__ U.S. __ , 136 S.Ct. 2198, 195 L.Ed.2d 511 (2016). Brief Fact Summary. The University of Texas had an admissions policy where it would admit all in-state students who graduated in the top 10% of their high school class. Roughly 75% of the student body was admitted this way. The remaining 25% were admitted pursuant to a holistic analysis that accounts for race. Fisher, a Caucasian female who was not in the top 10% of her class, applied for undergraduate admission to the University and was rejected. Synopsis of Rule of Law. State universities may ...
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Craig v. Boren
Citation429 U.S. 190, 97 S.Ct. 451, 50 L.Ed.2d 397 (1976). Brief Fact Summary. An Oklahoma law instituted different drinking ages for males and females in regards to the sale of “nonintoxicating” 3.2% beer. The law was challenged as discriminatory. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Laws that discriminate on the basis of sex are subject to intermediate scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. ...
Brown v. Board of Education (II)
Citation349 U.S. 294, 75 S.Ct. 753, 99 L.Ed. 1083 (1955). Brief Fact Summary. After its decision in Brown v. Board of Education (Brown I), the Court convened to issue the directives which would help to implement racial desegregation. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Schools must integrate (allow black students into) all-white schools “with all deliberate speed.” ...
Brown v. Board of Education
Citation347 U.S. 483, 74 S.Ct. 686, 98 L.Ed. 873 (1954). Brief Fact Summary. African American students were denied admittance to certain public schools based on laws allowing public education to be segregated by race. They brought suit challenging such laws. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality. ...
Branzburg v. Hayes
Citation408 U.S. 665, 92 S.Ct. 2646, 33 L.Ed.2d 626 (1972) Brief Fact Summary. In each of 3 cases, the reporters had been compelled to testify regarding information that had been obtained on the promise of confidentiality. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The First Amendment does not grant reporters the privilege to refuse to testify before a grand jury. ...
Brandenburg v. Ohio
Citation395 U.S. 444, 89 S.Ct. 1827, 23 L.Ed.2d 430 (1969). Brief Fact Summary. Brandenburg, a Ku Klux Klan leader, made a speech at a Klan rally and was later convicted under an Ohio criminal syndicalism Synopsis of Rule of Law. Speech advocating illegal conduct is protected under the First Amendment unless the speech is likely to incite imminent lawless action. ...
Allen v. Wright
Citation468 U.S. 737, 104 S.Ct. 3315, 82 L.Ed.2d 556 (1984). Brief Fact Summary. Parents of black schoolchildren sued the IRS in an effort to force it to adopt more stringent nondiscrimination standards. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Citizens do not have standing to sue a federal government agency based on the influence that the agency’s determinations might have on third parties. ...
Adamson v. California
Citation332 U.S. 46, 67 S.Ct. 1672, 91 L.Ed. 1903 (1947). Brief Fact Summary. Adamson was charged with murder, but chose not to testify. Acting under a California statute, the prosecutor instructed the jury that they could infer guilt. Adamson argued the California statute was unconstitutional. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination is not applicable to the states by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. ...
William Jefferson Clinton v. Paula Corbin Jones
Citation520 U.S. 681 (1997) Brief Fact Summary. Jones sued Clinton in civil court for actions prior to his Presidency. Clinton argued that the litigation should be stayed until after his term because of presidential immunity. Synopsis of Rule of Law. There is no presidential immunity from civil litigation arising from actions before a person’s presidency. ...
Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc. v. Village of Stratton
Citation536 U.S. 150 (2002) Brief Fact Summary. Watchtower Bible, who publishes religious literature and visits residential property to offer it at no cost, claims that a village ordinance that prohibits door-to-door advocacy without first obtaining a village permit violates the First Amendment. The respondent argues that the ordinance is justified because it seeks to prevent fraud, crime and protect residents’ privacy. Synopsis of Rule of Law. There must be a balance between the interests of government in enacting a law and the effect of the regulations ...
Town of Greece v. Galloway
Citation572 U.S. 565 (2014) Brief Fact Summary. Respondents brought suit in the U.S district court for the Western District of New York alleging that the town violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause by preferring Christians over over prayer givers in selecting a prayer giver for the town’s monthly board meeting. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The government may not coerce its citizens “to support or participate in any religion or its exercise.” ...
Tahoe-Sierra Preservation Council, Inc. v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
Citation535 U.S. 302 (2002) Brief Fact Summary. The petitioners, who purchased their property prior to the effective date of the Plan in the area subject to the respondent’s jurisdiction, filed actions against TRPA, contending that imposing a temporary moratorium denies a property owner all viable economic use of their property, which gives rise to an unconstitutional taking in violation of the Fifth Amendment. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The language of the Fifth Amendment requires the payment of compensation whenever the government acquires private propert ...
Rucho v. Common Cause
Citation139 S. Ct. 2484 (2019) Brief Fact Summary. The plaintiffs in North Carolina and Maryland challenged their States’ congressional districting maps as unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Article III limits federal courts to to deciding cases and controversies. It is “the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is.” ...
Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1
Citation. 555 U.S. 701 (2007) Brief Fact Summary. The school districts in Seattle voluntarily adopted student assignment plans that rely upon race to determine which public schools certain children may attend, so that the racial balance at the school falls within a predetermined range based on the racial composition of the school district as a whole. Parents of students denied assignment to particular schools under these plans solely because of their race and brought suit, arguing that allocating children to different public schools on the basis of race violated the Fourteenth Amendment ...
Obergefell v. Hodges
Citation135 S. Ct. 2584 (2015) Brief Fact Summary. The petitioners from the States that define marriage as a union between one man and one woman include 14 same-sex couples. The petitioners claim the respondents, state officials responsible for enforcing the laws in question, violate the Fourteenth Amendment by denying them the right to marry or to have their marriages, lawfully performed in another States, given full recognition. Synopsis of Rule of Law. No State shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” The ...
Masterpiece Cake Shop, LTD. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission
Citation138 S. Ct. 1719 (2018) Brief Fact Summary. A same-sex couple visited Masterplace Cakeshop, a bakery in Colorado, to order a cake for their wedding reception. The shop owner, however, refused to create a cake because of his religious opposition to same-sex marriages. At that time, the state of Colorado also did not recognize same-sex marriages. The couple filed a complaint to the Colorado Civil Rights Commission arguing that the owner’s refusal discriminated based on sexual orientation in violation of the Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act. Synopsi ...
Kelo v. City of New London
Citation545 U.S. 469 (2005) Brief Fact Summary. In 2000, the city’s development agent initiated the condemnation proceedings against the petitioners to acquire their properties. There were no allegations that any of the petitioners’ property was blighted or in poor condition. The properties were condemned only because they were located in the development area. Synopsis of Rule of Law. One person’s property may not be taken for the benefit of another private person without a justifying public purpose, even though compensation be paid. ...
Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31
Citation138 S. Ct. 2448 (2018) Brief Fact Summary. Petitioner, a public employee of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, works as a child support specialist. The petitioner with 35,000 other employees, who are represented by the respondent American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees, Council 31 (Union), refused to join the Union because he opposed the Union’s public policies and also refused to pay fees. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Freedom of speech “includes both the right to speak freely and the right to refrain from s ...
Gonzales v. Carhart
Citation550 U.S. 124 (2007) Brief Fact Summary. Congress passed a law banning partial-birth abortions, and Carhart sued arguing that the law is unconstitutional. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban is constitutional. ...
Garcetti v. Ceballos
Citation547 U.S. 410 (2006) Brief Fact Summary. Ceballos was a district attorney and helped a defendant by writing a memo and testifying. He then suffered retaliatory employment action. He argued that the retaliation violated his First Amendment rights. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The First Amendment does not shield employees from discipline when they are making expressions pursuant to their professional duties. ...
American Legion v. American Humanist Association
Citation139 S. Ct. 2067 (2019) Brief Fact Summary. American Humanist Association (AHA) sued the American Legion for maintaining a cross on public grounds, using public funds. The cross was built after World War I. The AHA argued that the cross’s presence and maintenance violated the First Amendment. Synopsis of Rule of Law. There is a presumption of constitutionality for long-standing religiously affiliated symbols that have gained secular and/or historical meaning. ...
J. McIntyre Machinery, Ltd. v. Nicastro
Citation564 U.S. 873 (2011) Brief Fact Summary. Nicastro sustained serious injuries while in New Jersey, using a metal shearing machine that was manufactured in England by J. McIntyre. The New Jersey Supreme Court upheld jurisdiction over J. McIntyre, holding that doing so did not offend the Due Process Clause. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The general rule that the exercise of jurisdiction over a defendant is not proper unless the defendant purposefully avails itself of activities so as to invoke the benefits and protections of the forum state’s laws appli ...
Gilmer v. Interstate/Johnson Lane Corp.,
Citation500 U.S. 20 (1991)Brief Fact Summary. Man that gets fired sues his company for age discrimination. Defendant attempts to compel arbitration of the dispute based on a registration application to the New York Stock Exchange Plaintiff signed where he agreed to arbitrate any dispute with Defendant. Synopsis of Rule of Law. A claim under the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA) may be subjected to compulsory arbitration pursuant to an agreement in a securities registration application. ...
Federated Department Stores v. Moitie
Citation452 U.S. 394 (1981)5 Brief Fact Summary. Plaintiff sues Defendant and has his case dismissed. Soon after, a favorable decision is issued by the Supreme Court and Plaintiff attempts to sidestep res judicata to have his case heard. Synopsis of Rule of Law. There is no exception to res judicata for individual equitable purposes. ...
Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Allapattah Services, Inc.
Citation545 U.S. 546 (2005) Brief Fact Summary. Two cases were consolidated to resolve a circuit split regarding the application of the joinder to the amount in controversy requirement of diversity jurisdiction. Synopsis of Rule of Law. When all the other elements of diversity jurisdiction are met and at least one of the plaintiffs satisfies the amount in controversy requirement, the claims of other plaintiffs may be properly joined even if their damages do not meet the amount in controversy requirement. ...