John Tully



                                       
                           
                                                                         

 




Jack Tully
AP Government and Politics
Ms. Gordon
August 18th, 2019

The Supreme Court is a critical part of the United State’s government. Its the job of the “highest court in the land” to interpret the constitution and come to decisions on cases that relate to each of the Amendments. The decisions made in these cases often have effects that ripple across the nation. The select few cases they choose to analyze and put to trial are often the most important of their time and are talked about by many for years to come. The justices’ loyalty to upholding the words of the constitution have led to some of the most important moments and decisions in American history. The following three cases are examples of some incredibly important cases that have been brought up to the supreme court.

The case McDonald v. Chicago began in the year 2008. Otis McDonald, a retired janitor, decided to file a suit against Chicago and Oak Park after Chicago passed a law that banned handguns in an attempt to promote safety. McDonald thought that firearm bans were unconstitutional and viewed this as an infringement on his Second Amendment: the right to bear arms and as a result decided to challenge it. McDonald filed his suit to the US District Court who ultimately ended up dismissing it. It was then picked up by the US Court of Appeals who came to the conclusion that laws relating to the Second Amendment applies to the states. After McDonald petitioned it, the case was picked up by the Supreme Court and hearings were held in 2010. The court at the time was fairly even in terms of party representation. There were four liberals and five conservatives; however, Chief Justice John Roberts, while identifying as conservative, had a much more moderate ideology than his counterparts. Chief Justice Roberts would end up voting in favor of McDonald's. After many debates, the court eventually voted in favor of McDonald 5-4 and reversed the handgun ban because they decided it the law interfered with the citizens right to ban arms in an unconstitutional manner. The impact of this decision is still felt nine years later. With gun reform being one of the leading political issues in Americas current political climate, this case is still relevant as it has lead to many people taking advantage of and pushing the limits of their second amendment right.

In 1961, Clarence Gideon broke into a store in Panama City, Florida; this ended up launching the case Gideon v. Wainwright. Gideon was then trialed; however, he had no attorney to defend him. Because of this Gideon requested that the judge appoint him a council, the judge denied his request. Due to a case related to the due process clause of the 14th amendment called Betts vs. Brady, it was technically legal for the judge to do so. Gideon ended up being convicted guilty and was sentenced to 5 years in prison. However, Gideon viewed the rejection of an attorney as unconstitutional and an infringement of his 6th amendment: The right to a speedy public trial by an impartial jury. The Supreme Court received the petition and decided to pick up the case in 1963. Hearings for the case were held in mid January and in mid March. The case was going down around the same right as the civil rights movement so the Supreme court had a liberal majority, this included Chief Justice Earl Warren. The Supreme Court unanimously concluded that it was unconstitutional for the Florida state court to deny Gideon a lawyer and that the 6th Amendment guarantees all U.S citizens the right to a lawyer. This decision ended up overturning Betts vs Brady. Though the case concluded over half a century ago, it's impact on the Sixth Amendment is still felt today. For example, illegal immigration is one of the most controversial issues in America today. This case has helped to guarantee undocumented immigrants the right to a lawyer.

Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission is a Supreme Court case that began in the year 2008. A conservative non-profit organization decided to release a movie called “Hillary: The Movie”; this movie was viewed by many as a scathing attack on the then Democratic presidential candidate: Hillary Clinton. The organization Citizens United attempted to distribute and advertise the film but the FEC did not allow it since it was in direct violation of section 203 of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) which prevented corporations and unions from funding and releasing any form of “electioneering communications” within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of an election. However, Citizens United decided to bring this up to the US District court because they viewed it as a violation of their First Amendment, the freedom of speech. The court ended up ruling against Citizens United since the film went out of its way to try and influence with the public's opinion of active candidate. However, the Supreme Court granted them a writ of certiorari. The court held hearings in March of 2009 and the case was re argued in September of the same year. At the time, the court had fairly even representation of both parties Although conservatives held the majority with five justices, John Roberts relatively moderate ideology kept the court from leaning overwhelmingly one way. In this case though, he voted in favor of Citizens United. The court ultimately came to conclusion with a ruling of 5-4 that section 203 of the BCRA was unconstitutional and that corporations and unions are guaranteed the same rights as people. This case ended up having a direct influence over a future case called Burwell vs Hobby Lobby. In this case, Hobby Lobby refused to cover contraceptives in their company wide health care plan due to religious beliefs. The Supreme Court ended up siding with Hobby Lobby due to the fact that the company was just using their freedom of religion which is guaranteed to them in the First Amendment.

These three cases are all incredibly important in their own rights. They are great examples of the influence that the Supreme Court has over the rights that we as citizens are guaranteed. The decisions made in these three cases have also had incredible influence over the United State’s judicial system. In Conclusion, the Supreme Court is a pillar to a stable American society and the decisions they make alter the course of history.



Works Cited

  • Duignan, Brian. “McDonald v. City of Chicago.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/event/McDonald-v-City-of-Chicago.
  • “Facts and Case Summary - Gideon v. Wainwright.” United States Courts, www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/facts-and-case-summary-gideon-v-wainwright.
  • History.com Editors. “Citizens United vs. FEC.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 26 Mar. 2018, www.history.com/topics/united-states-constitution/citizens-united.
  • Duignan, Brian. “Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 27 June 2019, www.britannica.com/event/Citizens-United-v-Federal-Election-Commission.   
                                                                           Cases
  • Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 US 335(1963)
  • McDonald v. Chicago, 561 US 742(2010)
  • Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, 558 US_(2010)




                                                                                                                        


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