Essays and Research Papers on Supreme Court

8 pages in length. Prisoners were not happy with the judicial hands-off policy as instituted by the 1871 Ruffin v. Commonwealth case. They did not appreciate being considered slaves of the state during the extent of their prison stay; however, they were not in a situation to rectify such policy. It is ...

A 19 page research paper that presents an argument against abortion. There are few issues that can cause as many heated and sometimes, irrational, debates than that of abortion. The issue strikes at the very heart of an individual's religious and philosophical beliefs. This essay presents the arguments and argues that abortion is wrong ...

This 5 page paper presents an overview of this case that focuses on first amendment rights as well as the idea of discrimination. This case is about gay rights. James Dale was dismissed from his leadership position in the Scouts, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, because he is an admitted homosexual. Bibliography lists 6 ...

This 11 page paper focuses on the People v. Dilworth case where a search of a student's belongings was deemed legal by the Illinois Supreme Court, because the officer was part of the school staff. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

11 pages in length. Constitutional freedoms have long been worthy of both verbal and physical battle; indeed, to interfere with one's inherent constitutional rights is to intrude upon the very essence of American democracy. Nowhere is this more evident than in Village of Skokie v. National Socialist Party of America, where a Nazi ...

This 6 page paper provides an overview on the exclusionary rule as it pertains to the Fourth Amendment. The topic involves the admissibility of evidence collected as a result of a search and seizure. Several landmark cases are noted. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 2 page brief of the Supreme Court case in which the appellant, convicted of drug addiction based solely on the presence of apparent needle marks and a scab, challenged the Californian practice of inflicting criminal punishment for any such addiction. The Supreme Court decided that California’s interpretation and application of the statute resulted in ...

A 1 page brief of the Illinois Supreme Court Case in which the validity and Constitutionality of Chicago’s Gang Congregation Ordinance which prohibits members of street gangs from loitering in public places. This ordinance was enforced based on an individual’s conforming to pre-defined criteria used to define gang membership. The Illinois Supreme Court ...

A 1 page brief of this Supreme Court case which investigated the sovereign rights of a state to create protection for its citizens which is in excess of that provided by the U.S. Constitution. Whether an exception for firearms and weapons to the provision of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution limiting searches ...

A 1 page brief of the case involving the police detainment and questioning of four defendants without advising them of their right to silence or their right to an attorney. Determined that such interrogation did not adequately provide for the Fifth Amendment privilege against self incrimination, the “right to remain silent unless he chooses ...

This 10 page report discusses the California initiative approved by voters in 1994 that prohibited illegal immigrant children from public schools, to prohibit public health and welfare services for illegal immigrants, and impose other sanctions (including prenatal care for pregnant women and immunizations for children) throughout the state. In November of 1995, a Los Angeles federal judge issued an oral injunction that ...

A 5 page paper. The essay explains the key points found in a paper written by William J. Brennan, Jr., former Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The paper is entitled Why Have a Bill of Rights? The reasons are discussed in this essay. Bibliography lists 1 source.

U.S. Constitution Subject to Supreme Court Interpretation: This 5-page essay examines the ‘Court of last resort’ and its functions relevant to interpreting acts of Congress and determining if federal and state statutes conform to the mandates of the Constitution. Evidence in support of the Constitution meaning precisely what the Supreme Court stipulates it to mean ...

A 5 page paper which discusses the ethical court case of Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife. The case is examined in terms of the controversy, the litigants, the court's decision, and the reasoning behind the decision. No additional sources cited.

7 pages. This paper will consider whether the exercise of the judicial review is legitimate. The question here is whether judges who are not elected should be able to overturn the actions of a democratically elected legislature. Ever since Marbury v. Madison, a debate has raged about this question. Within this paper the debate is researched, and ...

This 10 page paper examines judicial review and looks at these two juxtaposed concepts. Specific cases are discussed in depth in order to demonstrate examples of judicial restraint and judicial activism. Bibliography lists 7 sources

A 5 page paper that provides a brief biographical sketch of Justice Stevens and his appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States. The paper includes examples that demonstrate Stevens is willing to be the lone dissenting vote on the Court or among the minority that promote an unpopular vote. Stevens was one of ...

This 5 page paper provides an overview of the 1995 case that held gun possession near schools was not something for which the interstate commerce clause would apply. The dissenting opinion is discussed and the paper takes the position that the majority position provided by Rehnquist is right. Bibliography lists 1 source. ...

This 4 page report discusses the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, William H. Rehnquist and the issue of judicial activism. Rehnquist is convinced that any move to weaken the doctrine of judicial independence only results in damaging the overall efficacy of the federal courts system. That attitude then influences his opinions regarding judicial activism. Bibliography lists 5 sources. ...

The Bill of Rights and other amendments were legislated as a means of guaranteeing the rights meant to be included within the Constitution. This 5 page paper explores the ways and reasons the Supreme Court has ruled on issues pertaining to the fourteenth amendment. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

An 8 page assertion that our educational arena has been subject to many challenges and disappointments. At the center of many of these is the issues of employee credibility and training. That the educational system has a problem is not an issue of contention. What is questionable in the current day legal ...

The First Amendment guarantees the freedom of speech, which opens a very large can of worms within the American political schema and it's interpretation by its citizens and courts. This 5 page paper argues that he media has the right, as well as the responsibility to represent the social reality. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

The separation of church and state is guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States as a means to preserving religious freedom. This 10 page paper explores the reasons why the Church should not be allowed to enter into politics. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

This 14 page paper considers four cases that are relevant to the understanding of issues such as reasonable force and seizure. Cases considered include Graham V. Connor et al (490 U.S. 386), Brower V. County of Inyo (489 U.S. 593), Slattery V. Rizzo (939 F.2d 213) and Temkin V. Frederick County Comm'rs (945 ...

A 7 page research paper that explores the legal theories pertaining to the interpretation of First Amendment rights in regards to freedom of speech. The writer particularly focuses on the "marketplace of ideas" theory of Oliver Wendell Holmes. Bibliography lists 2 sources.