Lucinda Lindland
AP US Government and Politics
7/21/19
Ms Gordon
Approximately 70 out of 7,000 cases were reviewed by the supreme court in 2018, therefore not many cases get to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is a building in Washington DC which is the highest court in America. This court leads the judicial branch of the government,that consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justices, who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Once appointed, Justices, have the position for their lifetime. The Supreme Court is one of the most valuable parts of our government that makes major decisions for our country. Three major cases, Citizens United v FEC, Engel v Vitale and US v Lopez, were brought to the Supreme Court to be discussed.
The case United States v Lopez was ruled in 1995, Alfonzo Lopez, a 12th grade high school student, carried a concealed weapon into his San Antonio, Texas high school. He was charged under Texas law with firearm possession on school premises, 514 US 529 (1995). The next day, the state charges were dismissed after federal agents charged Lopez with violating a federal criminal statute, the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. Lopez was found guilty following a bench trial and sentenced to six months' imprisonment and two years' supervised release. The court in which he was in, Rehnquist, had a very concervitive environment. The Chief Justice wrote out the decision and presented it to the representative, Alfonzo Lopez. This case appeared in the United States court 5th circuit under the impression that Alfonzo Lopez broke the Constitution. This case is most closely related to the 10th amendment in the constitution because the case is deciding whether or not the 1990 Gun-Free School Zones Act, forbidding individuals from knowingly carrying a gun in a school zone. This violates the Constitution because it exceeds the power of Congress to legislate under the Commerce clause.
In the case Engel v Vitale, the New York State Board of Regents authorized a short, voluntary prayer for recitation at the start of each school day, 370 US 421 (1962). A group of organizations joined forces in challenging the prayer, claiming that it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Specifically, Engel v. Vitale dealt with the role of prayer in public schools and whether or not it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The liberal court ruled that the constitutional prohibition of laws establishing religion meant that government had no business drafting formal prayers for any segment of its population to repeat in a government-sponsored religious program. The Chief Justice declared this ruling to the court. This case was first originated at the New York Court of appeals because it was a case in New York. This case violated the first amendment rights of free speech because in this case, it dealt with the prayers in public schools and whether or not people should be able to express their prayers during school.
In the case of Citizens United v FEC, citizens United sought an injunction against the Federal Election Commission in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to prevent the application of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) to its film Hillary: The Movie, 558 US_(210). The Movie expressed opinions about whether Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton would make a good president. The ruling effectively freed labor unions and corporations to spend money on electioneering communications and to directly advocate for the election or defeat of candidates. The Roberts Court of was liberal and himself, John Roberts stated the courts outcome. The amendment that follows this case is the first amendment. It follows the first amendment because in this case it is deciding the rights that movie makers have about what they put into their films, whether or not political spending is a form of free speech or not.
All these cases were displayed to the Supreme Court although, a lot of these issues are still very relevant in today's society. In the case Engel v Vitale, the right to freedom of religion was being violated. In the world today, many different religious groups are discriminated in the US. One of those groups being Jews, 64% of people in the US state that Jews get discriminated. This shows our religious freedoms still are not guaranteed. In the case Alfonzo Lopez was fighting his case for when he brought his case to the Supreme Court, it discussed whether or not the United States should intensify gun control. This topic is still very relevant today, 36%-49% of households own guns today. This statistic shows that it is very easy to obtain a gun if almost half the population has a gun in their household. Hillary: The movie caused a heated discussion after making it seem like Hillary Clinton wasn't fit for the job. Although, today it is normal to see commercials trying to make political figures look bad in front of a public audience. This is because freedom of speech which protected Citizens United in their case. While the Supreme Court is trying to ensure the constitution is being followed by it does not fix all the other issues that the world faces today.
"Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission." Oyez, www.oyez.org/cases/2008/08-205. Accessed 12 Aug. 2019.
"United States v. Lopez." Oyez, www.oyez.org/cases/1994/93-1260. Accessed 19 Aug. 2019.
"Engel v. Vitale." Oyez, www.oyez.org/cases/1961/468. Accessed 19 Aug. 2019.
United States, Congress, House. Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962). Government
Publishing Office. US Supreme Court, supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/
370/421/. Accessed 19 Aug. 2019.
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