The Supreme of the United States is the body entrusted with interpreting the Constitution in relation to cases whose outcomes will establish precedents with weighty, far reaching legal implications. In many such cases, the conflicting parties may both claim that their actions or (in the case of public officials) rulings, are protected by one or more amendments to the constitution. In reconciling these conflicts, justices must reckon with the intent of laws written centuries ago in relation to contemporary issues. They must also make decisions where the scope of one legally protected right comes into conflict with another. The 1976 case, Nebraska Press Association v. Stuart, provides an example of this nuanced, subtle process and highlights the way in which Supreme Court decisions have potentially monumental, everlasting consqequences. Prior restraint, the principle by which the government seeks to censor specific information from publication, having already been limited in scope in the 1931 decision yielded by Near v. Minnesota, would again be subject to a constitutional stress-test in 1976. At the center of the controversy was Erwin Charles Simants, a Nebraska man accused of murdering six people, all of whom were members of the same family and his neighbors, in 1975. Soon after Simants ' arrest, a deluge of journalists descended on the …show more content…
Stuart, is a landmark case in laws pertaining to the press and media at large. It established not only a powerful precedent on what can be subject to prior restraint but also what should be subject to prior restraint. To muzzle the press and not let the public be privy to information regarding the case was deemed to be a far more grievous affront to the First Amendment Rights of the masses than doing otherwise would be for the Sixth Amendment rights of Simants. In deciding as they did, Burger’s court strengthened the mandate of the fourth-estate and helped to ensure its ability as a check on
Stewart’s years of practicing law in Washington DC, while often handling constitutional law cases provided a strong foundation to his well-researched, bestselling, and award winning account
This case is also regularly cited in other Supreme Court cases and is often a deciding factor. It has been used in cases like Konigsberg v. State Bar “That view, which of course cannot be reconciled with the law relating to libel, slander, misrepresentation, obscenity, perjury, false advertising, solicitation of crime, complicity by encouragement, conspiracy, and the like, is said to be compelled by the fact that the commands of the First Amendment are stated in unqualified terms: "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble . . . . " But as Mr. Justice Holmes once said: "[T]he provisions of the Constitution are not mathematical formulas having their essence in their form; they are organic living institutions transplanted from English soil.
In her response lecture, Professor West identifies two very significant inconsistencies in Dr. Scott's lecture on the Judiciary. Professor West says, "You can tell a lot about a teacher by what they lecture. You can also tell a lot about a teacher by what they don't lecture or what they leave out"(West, 2:27). This idea is very apparent when it comes to Dr. Scott's lecture. Not only does Dr. Scott leave out some very vital information in his lectures, but he provides misinformation and makes contradictory points in his lecture.
The people of the United States can depend on the President to fulfill his duties and exercise his power correctly, and laws will be obeyed, no matter what happens. All the influence of the previous cases rolled into the importance of this case, gaining the most attention and receiving the most action to resolve
In the cases of ‘Coker V. Georgia’ and ‘Kennedy V. Louisiana’ a very important question was brought up; does the death penalty constitute for cruel and unusual punishment in regards to the rape of an adult woman or child? Most people can attest to rape being one of the most egregious criminal acts, but how do we keep a fair punishment, and not lose sight of the reasoning in our eighth amendment in such cases? Case Information In the case of Coker V. Georgia, a man by the name of Ehrlich Coker, who was already imprisoned for multiple cases of rape among many other offenses, escaped prison and raped again along with several other unsavory acts. He was sentenced to death for his post-escape rape.
The arguments of the Scopes Trial, which is also known as the “Monkey Trial”, have been carried far past the year of 1925. When laws are challenged it shakes the town or city one is apart of. This was true for the U.S. as a whole. The Scopes Trial has never been forgotten, and its repercussions are evident. The trial demonstrated lawful challenges.
When called to resolve these conflicts, the courts usually relied on the Parliament in order to minimize the potential ambiguity of a proceeding law as a result of repealing or amending any laws. In turn, Parliament could interpret the Bill of Rights narrowly and infringe on our fundamental rights. In fact, the scope of the Bill of Rights is so limited that the courts only ever nullified a contradictory law once in the famous R. v. Drybones case (1969). In this case, the Supreme Court ruled section 94(b), which prohibited Aboriginals from being intoxicated off reserves was inoperative because this section was deemed to contravene the section 1(b), equality before law clause, of the Bill of Rights. With the exception of this case, however, no other federal law was shut down (Questions our judicial review system).
The United States Supreme Court was created by our Founders without many enumerated powers. Through legislation and precedent, the Supreme Court’s duties became apparent to the people and the other governing bodies. From judicial review to understanding unstated fundamental rights, the Supreme Court has furthered the American people’s understanding of our founding document, the Constitution. However, when it comes to the social climate of the United States can the Court dramatically change the people’s social views? There are two ways that the courts have been seen in allowing or impeding social change to be decided by the Courts.
The Chicago 8 Trial was “as one commentator suggested, “a monumental non-event”” (The Chicago 8 Trial, An Account). The Chicago 8 trial was a disastrous trial with eight men who were carless and disrespectful, a judge that was biased, as well as the First Amendment rights being overlooked. Many would say this federal act was triggered by one of the most disastrous wars in the United States history, the Vietnam War. It wasn’t just that though, there was
This case highlighted the First Amendment condemning any limit on free speech. However, during the case proceeding, the Court had dissents for deciding when the government may restrict the First Amendment. The case spread the fact that
INTRODUCTION Given what I have learned about the functions and characteristics of the Supreme Court of the United States and the Conseil Constitutionnel of France – in the context of their respective systems of civil, criminal, administrative and constitutional adjudication – I will discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of each system in offering meaningful remedies for possible violations of constitutionally protected individual rights from the frame of reference of a United States law student. As a Founding Father, I plan to adopt a body of law founded upon the strengths of both bodies of law. In doing so, I will consider, in order, what characteristics of each body of law is best suited to rule on issues of constitutionality, taking
I also learned that the Supreme court has a common goal. However, in this article it issued that diversifying its members, could help bring different outlooks, to assure that the laws are carried out correctly and faithfully. This article is significant to not only me, but to our continuously growing diverse population, as well. The Supreme Court’s decisions have a major say in the statutory laws of the country.
Alex Frost Values: Law & Society 9/23/2014 The Hollow Hope Introduction and Chapter 1 Gerald Rosenberg begins his book by posing the questions he will attempt to answer for the reader throughout the rest of the text: Under what conditions do courts produce political and social change? And how effective have the courts been in producing social change under such past decisions as Roe v. Wade and Brown v. Board of Education? He then works to define some of the principles and view points 'currently' held about the US Supreme court system.
Wainwright illustrated the importance of personal rights guaranteed by the constitution. This case began when Clarence Gideon was denied a court appointed lawyer to represent him in a petty crime case. Gideon, unable to afford his own lawyer, was unable to adequately defend himself and consequently was convicted. However, he was undeterred. Gideon then wrote a letter to the Supreme Court to overturn this conviction with the 6th Amendment as his evidence of the court’s misconduct.
AID required that parties interested in receiving funding to combat HIV and AIDS adopt stances opposing prostitution across the globe. The justice system ruled against this requirement: ruling that an organization cannot require others to adopt a certain belief or policy to gain benefit (Supreme Court). Both of these cases are similar in the fact that they have required our Supreme Court to read between the lines, interpreting the First Amendment to make accurate decisions relating to the people’s freedom of expression. Although our justice system ruled in favor of the people’s rights in both of these examples, a worrying precedent may be set as a result of these contemporary court cases. Can the freedoms given to the people in the First Amendment be interpreted to apply to a variety of disputes, disputes that might be deemed illegal if not applied to the freedom of