Supreme Court Cases: Discrimination And Racism In The United States

The Supreme Court’s decision finalized the questions of whether states have the right to pass laws treating marriages differently based upon sex, and if states have to acknowledge the marriage of same-sex couples who were married in another state. On a 5-4 decision, the Court determined that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because they cannot be treated differently than opposite sex couples. The court also determined that states have to recognize same-sex marriages the same way they do with opposite-sex. However, the Supreme Court did not create a law about same sex marriage, it just stated that

For centuries same sex marriage has been a dispute, especially in Texas because of how powerfully Texas believes in the bible and how extremely “old fashioned” it is. The debate has been over LGBT equality, just like the black civil rights movement and the women’s movement in the 1960’s. Due to the traditional and common law, Texas does not allow same sex marriage. Actually, the state banned same sex marriage a decade ago or more. The issue was during the 2004 presidential election when Missouri and Louisiana voters approved same sex marriage and eleven states placed amendments. Everyone held their word and continued to protect the laws of Texas. The constitutional amendments that banned same sex marriage well-defined marriage as a union between

When it comes to court cases, every case that is heard in court is heard for one reason or another.

The United States Supreme Court was, and still is today, the important backbone of America’s judicial system. This court deals with numerous cases throughout the year and keeps the country and government fair with its decisions. However, being responsible for giving justice where it is due, the Court is sometimes faced with hard choices that will make a lasting impression on the U.S. and its people. In the case of Loving v. Virginia, it did just that. As a Supreme Court landmark case, Loving v. Virginia definitely indicated a critical moment of change in civil rights for America and interracial couples everywhere.

The case, Dunlap v. Tennessee Valley Authority, explores the issue of suspected racial discrimination associated with disparate treatment and disparate impact caused by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) against a qualified, experienced boilermaker and foreman that is African American. Questions for the court to evaluate regarding this case include: Is this a case of disparate treatment and/or impact and was the plaintiff, David Dunlap, subject to racial discrimination? Finally, did the TVA use personal hiring practices that allowed for racial bias in the interviewing process?

Lawrence v Texas was the inspiration of changing the gay rights, and if wasn’t for this case gay rights wouldn’t be where it is today . In the case Lawrence v. Texas, which was the United States Supreme Court case the criminal prohibition of the homosexual consent was invalidated in Texas. John Lawrence and Tyron Garner were arrested for having an illegal type of sex. However this law was only enforced in the state of Texas. Lawrence and Garner's appeal was that what they had been doing was protected the Fourteenth Amendment, which, “prohibits state and local government officials from depriving persons of life, liberty, or property without legislative authorization.” The court's final decision was 6-3 in favor of Lawrence.

Society was impacted in a great effect, this was one of the first victories for people of the (then) small group of LGBT, a group that was still not quite as influential as it is today. I believe the court’s ruling was not trying to stir the LGBT movement forward in any sort of specific way, but instead were trying to push for equality in justice, and having specific groups of people (Gay, lesbian, black, hispanic and so forth) is at the end of the day, an injustice to the people of the United States. There was severe involvement by civil liberties groups, as many saw that this court case would set a precedence in many state laws and some groups were concerned with the aftermath of the case. Kelly Shackleford, a Texas attorney, was affiliated with a Fundamentalist Christian group “Focus on the Family” and he argued for the group that Lawrence V. Texas would be used as a trump card for homosexual equality, an “atomic bomb that they could carry around to attack any law that does not treat homosexuality on an equal basis with heterosexuality." He would also argue that marriage laws could become unconstitutional and that all marriage laws were in potential danger from a Lawrence win. These concerns were put aside and had little weight in the case, other claims that the case would make polygamy and bestiality legal in the bedroom were criticized for being outlandish and inherently insulting to the court. Professor Laurence Tribe wrote that Lawrence v. Texas “may well be remembered as the Brown v. Board of Education of gay and lesbian Americans.” What this case did do was make the roadway to equality for gay, lesbian and bisexual people. The landmark case of Obergefell V. Hodges that made same-sex marriage a fundamental right was a possibility because

In 1803, the decision in Marbury v Madison held that the Supreme Court had the ability to practice the process of judicial review. With this ruling, the Court gave itself the power to deem legislation constitutional or unconstitutional. With this bolstered power, the Supreme Court made numerous landmark decisions throughout the 19th and during the first half of the 20th centuries. The Supreme Court’s power of judicial review played an integral role in shaping post-bellum racial laws and attitudes. In the cases of Plessey v. Ferguson and Brown v. The Board of Education the Supreme Court invoked judicial review to assess racial segregation policies as they related to the 14th Amendment. Both Plessey and Brown are landmark cases because they

It is my belief that police should be allowed to freely contact defendants and it is the defendant’s responsibility to invoke their rights to remain silent and rights to counsel on a case by case basis. This paper will explain the difference between a persons Mirandized counsel rights versus their sixth amendment counsel rights, different Supreme Court cases over the years that have demonstrated the court’s position on suspects being questioned by police, and how these decisions are affecting the world of law enforcement today.

Supreme Court is a big part of our lives. Decisions that the Supreme Court has made are sometimes gut turning and makes people upset. They can be very disrespectful and only think about their selves. Some major Supreme Court decisions that impacted the civil rights movement are: Plessy vs Ferguson, Brown vs Board of Education, and Loving vs Virginia.

The first case Brown vs Board of Education has a even more impact on society. The huge argument was it ok to have segregation in public schools. This case is huge impact on schools till this day because it keep schools segregation free. The court made states agree that "they start to begin

Hodges concluded that the right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of a person protected by the Constitution. The Court has long afforded the right to marry constitutional protection. But the standard test for identifying a fundamental right under the Due Process Clause is that the right must be “deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition (Washington Post)”. However, the majority opinion went further to find that “the liberties implied within the Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause have stretched to certain personal choices central to a person’s dignity and autonomy, including their intimate choices that define personal identity and beliefs (Washington Post)”. Using this idea, the majority opinion concluded that the liberty interest to marry extends to same-sex couples. The ruling has helped gay rights advocates fight more than a hundred and fifteen pieces of legislation that were introduced in state legislatures that were targeting gay people. The majority opinion agreed that the Constitution contemplates that democracy is the appropriate process for change. “In addition to clearing the way for same-sex marriage nationwide, Friday’s decision may help end discrimination against gays and lesbians in other matters, such as adoption and custody rights, legal experts say (LATimes)”. Gay couples can now have no problem matters when wanting to start a family because of the great decision made by the Supreme Court. Justice Kennedy’s majority opinion in the United States v. Windsor, which struck down a federal law denying benefits to married same-sex couples, and exactly twelve years after his majority opinion in Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down laws making gay sex a crime.“In all his decisions Justice Kennedy embraced a vision of a living Constitution, one that evolves with societal changes (NYTimes)”. Kennedy makes a great point that the generations before wrote and ratified the Bill

Despite that, it has been upheld in favor of, every single time by the Supreme Court. One of the major justices in both decisions was Roberts, for that purpose he has been criticized by liberals and conservatives for voting politically. There was another key court case in the same time frame, same- sex marriage. In this particular case, Roberts voted in discord, although the law still passed with a 5-4 majority. So why did Roberts vote for the one that restrains people and against the one which gives people more freedom? Well, there is an explanation for that. According to Rosen, Roberts attributes his decisions to an idea called “purposivism”; it holds that judges should not limit themselves to the word of a law, rather determine its’ extensive purpose. And due to this idea, Roberts has been able to base his decisions impartially rather than base it on political

The role of Supreme Court of the United States in respect to these cases is to protect our civil rights by overturning laws that violate the United States Constitution. It’s unsettling to me how the opinions of these nine people can swing the ultimate law one way or another depending on their interpretation of what the framers wrote.

An educator and social activist, who was a professor at Morehouse and the first black president at ATL Univ. A slave who bought ATL Mutual Insurance and turned it into a multi-million dollar company, and became the wealthiest African American. Supreme Court case that made “separate but equal” the law of the land. Laws passed in the south calling for segregation. A term used to describe the South after reconstruction where scientific farming and more industry would put the South on a new economic path. To take the right to vote away from someone or some group. Anti-Jewish prejudice. The Democratic Party's rule of 1900 that that its primaries for statewide office