Civil Liberties and Individual Rights: Questions

Schneck v. United States

Did Schenck's conviction under the Espionage Act for criticizing the draft violate his First Amendment right to freedom of speech?

Bradenburg v. Ohio

Did Ohio's criminal syndicalism law, prohibiting public speech that advocates various illegal activities, violate Brandenburg's right to free speech as protected by the First and Fourteenth Amendments?

Tinker v. Des Moines

Does a prohibition against the wearing of armbands in public school, as a form of symbolic protest, violate the students' freedom of speech protections guaranteed by the First Amendment?

New York Times Co. v. United States

Did the Nixon administration's efforts to prevent the publication of what it termed "classified information" violate the First Amendment?

New York Times Co. v. Sullivan

Did Alabama's libel law unconstitutionally infringe on the First Amendment's freedom of speech and freedom of press protections?

Citizens United v. FEC

1) Did the Supreme Court's decision in McConnell resolve all constitutional as-applied challenges to the BCRA when it upheld the disclosure requirements of the statute as constitutional?

2) Do the BCRA's disclosure requirements impose an unconstitutional burden when applied to electioneering requirements because they are protected "political speech" and not subject to regulation as "campaign speech"?

3) If a communication lacks a clear plea to vote for or against a particular candidate, is it subject to regulation under the BCRA?

4) Should a feature length documentary about a candidate for political office be treated like the advertisements at issue in McConnell and therefore be subject to regulation under the BCRA?

District of Columbia v. Heller

Do the provisions of the District of Columbia Code that restrict the licensing of handguns and require licensed firearms kept in the home to be kept nonfunctional violate the Second Amendment?

New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen

Does NY's requirement that people demonstrate a special need for self defense in order to obtain a (firearm) m violate the Second Amendment?

Mapp v. Ohio

Were the confiscated materials protected from seizure by the Fourth Amendment?

Gideon v. Wainwright

Does the Sixth Amendment's right to counsel in criminal cases extend to felony defendants in state courts?

Brown v. Board of Education

Does the segregation of public schools based on race violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?