APUSH Warren Court Cases Review

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

In Cleveland, police entered Dollree Mapp's home in search of a fugitive without a warrant and found pornographic material that was illegal at the time—soon, she was charged of possession of this. The Supreme Court established the exclusionary rule; illegally obtained evidence and evidence related to it can be excluded from trial.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Clarence Earl Gideon was charged with breaking and entering and the judge said he would only get a lawyer if it was a capital (death penalty) case. In jail, he wrote a petition to the Supreme Court stating that he was denied due process by law and the Court Rule that even if you cannot afford an attorney, the government/state must provide you one. It was a GUARANTEE to an attorney.

Escobedo v. Illinois (1964)

Escobedo was taken in for questioning and when he asked for a lawyer, he was denied one. He later signed a confession and his lawyers said that his rights were violated the moment he was arrest and not given a lawyer. Supreme Court said defendants have a right to counsel during police questioning.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Miranda was arrested in connection to sexual assault and he had limited intelligence and limited english. He was questioned for hours and never informed of any rights, soon he wrote a confession and the lawyer challenged that it was forced. This violated the 5th Amendment, the right to self-incrimination, and the 6th Amendment, he was denied a lawyer. It lead to the Miranda Warning, which said that at the very moment of arrest, police must tell you of all your rights.

Terry v. Ohio (1968)

Terry and his friends were being suspicious so a detective stopped and frisked them, he found Terry with a firearm. Terry challeneged that the detective didn’t have probable cause or a warrant, but the Court held that cops could stop and frisk as long as they have some suspicion to make sure you don’t have any contraband.

Baker v. Carr (Tennessee) - 1962

Reynolds v. Sims (Alabama) - 1964

In the 1960s, many rural areas would dominate elections with many representatives because they weren’t taking into account the migration of people from rural areas to urban areas. Due to this, the Court declared that Congressional legislative districts (federal and state) must be roughly equal in population.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

A violation of the First Amendment’s establishment clause happened when the New York school board recommended state led prayer in public schools. This was ruled unconstitutional as it violated the clause by creating a religion within school; it also violated the separation of church and state.

Abington v. Schempp (1963)

They did bible reading outside of schools and parents challenged this, the Court agreed and banned the reading of Bible verses in public schools (allowed if its was for educational purposes but not allowed if you were preaching it). This was another violation of the establishment clause.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Years ago, even contraception was illegal for married couples and Connecticut banned the use of contraceptives. The Court said this violated the right to privacy and established privacy as a constitutional right for the first time. This statement was based on the interpretation of several amendments, it was implied in the Bill of Rights.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Children wore black armbands to school and they wore them in protest to the Vietnam War, (Tinker brother and sister), and they were suspended for wearing them. They sued and said that they had a right to express themselves, and in a 7-2 decision, Court said that students have basic fundamental rights to expression as long as your expression does not disrupt school learning.

Roe v. Wade

Landmark Supreme Court decision that forbade states from barring abortion by citing a woman’s constitutional right to privacy. Seen as a victory for feminism and civil liberties by some, the decision provoked a strong counter reaction by opponents to abortion, galvanizing the pro-life movement.

Bakke v. University of California

The Supreme Court upheld a Californian, Allan Bakke's claim that his application to medical school had been turned down because of an admissions policy favoring minorities. The Court order the University to admit Bakke and declared that preference in admissions couldn't be given to any group on the basis of ethnic or racial identity. However, it also said that racial factors could be taken into account in a school's overall admissions policy for purposes of assembling a diverse student body.