Project_ Supreme Court Cases (McDonald v

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Political Science

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Dec 6, 2023

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Assignment Summary For this assignment, you will research and analyze a US Supreme Court case, McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010). Case background 1. Identify the plaintiff and defendant in the case. The plaintiff in this case was Otis McDonald and other Chicago residents, while the defendant was the City of Chicago. 2. Explain why the case was brought to the Supreme Court. The case was brought to the Supreme Court to determine whether the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms applies to state and local governments through the 14th Amendment, specifically challenging Chicago's handgun ban. The question emerged after the Supreme Court's Heller decision in 2008, which struck down a handgun ban in the District of Columbia. 3. Describe the goal of each side in the case. Why was the case brought to the court, and what type of decision was desired? The goal of the McDonald and other residents was to establish that the 14th Amendment makes the Second Amendment right applicable to state and local governments. They wanted to challenge Chicago's handgun regulations, arguing that they violated their 14th Amendment rights. The City of Chicago aimed to defend its handgun ban by asserting that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, as interpreted in Heller, does not extend to state and local governments. They argued that the regulation was a reasonable measure in addressing public safety concerns. Constitutional Connections: 4. Explain the key rights or amendments involved in the case. The primary amendment involved in the case was the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects the right to bear arms. 5. Did the case primarily center on an issue of civil rights or liberties, or does it primarily center on other issues? Explain. The case primarily revolved around the issue of civil liberties, specifically the individual right to keep and bear arms as protected by the Second Amendment. The central question is whether this right, established at the federal level, applies to state and local governments.
Case Outcomes: 6. Describe the majority decision of the court and several arguments as to why the justices ruled the way they did. The majority, led by Justice Alito, concluded that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for self-defense is fully applicable to the states under the 14th Amendment. They determined that this right is fundamental to the nation's system of ordered liberty and justice. The decision maintained that while the Second Amendment applies to the states, it does not invalidate all firearm regulations, leaving room for reasonable restrictions. 7. If there was one dissenting decision of the court, explain it in detail. Why did some justices disagree with the majority? There were dissenting opinions from both Justice Stevens and Justice Breyer. Justice Stevens argued that the Second Amendment's primary purpose was to safeguard states from federal overreach, making its application against local governments conceptually inconsistent. On the other hand, Justice Breyer contended that the Second Amendment lacked the fundamentality required for incorporation and criticized the Court for transferring the regulation of private firearm use from democratically elected bodies to the judiciary and the federal government. 8. What precedent was set by the court’s decision? What impact did it have on US society? The decision set a precedent by incorporating the Second Amendment right into state and local regulations through the 14th Amendment. This ruling clarified that individuals have the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense at various levels of government, influencing gun regulation debates and legal interpretations across the United States.
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