2. I. United States of America V. Nixon
1. Overview of Case:
– In 1972, 5 burglars were caught breaking into
the Watergate Democratic Committee’s office.
– After government investigation, it was shown
that people involved with Nixon’s re-election
campaign were involved.
– This case also was investigating if the President
and others in his cabinet have abused their
powers as well.
3. I. United States of America V. Nixon
2. Opinion of the Plaintiff:
– Believed that Nixon had full involvement in the
Watergate Scandal.
– Asked that the tape recorders that were installed in
the Oval Office during Nixon’s presidential term.
– The special prosecutor backed up his request for the
tapes inside the Oval Office because if executive
privilege was limitless and the court did not let the
tapes be submitted, it would violate the government’s
separation of powers and would create an unfair
version of checks and balances.
4. I. United States of America V. Nixon
3. Opinion of the Defendant:
– President Nixon and his attorneys denied that the
president had anything to do with this.
– Nixon’s attorneys argued that since this is a case
involving the executive branch, it could not be heard
in the U.S. Supreme Court.
– Since the Supreme Court disagreed, they argued that
the tapes that the prosecutor asked for would be
violation of executive privilege, which was a right to
the executive branch in the “Unwritten Constitution”
5. I. United States of America V. Nixon
4. Supreme Court Decision and amendments
used in the decision.
– The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the
prosecutor, that President Nixon was guilty of
being involved in the Watergate scandal, abusing
his presidential powers, and perjury.
– Amendments used in this decisions was the 6th,
because if they did not approve the tapes as
evidence in the trial, it would violate the right to a
fair trial.
6. II. Plessy V. Ferguson
1. Overview of Case:
– This case took place in 1896, a time where the Jim
Crow Laws were in full effect.
– Homer Plessy, the Plaintiff, was 1/8 black and tried
to sit in the white train car.
– Police arrested him for breaking the segregation
rules that were in place, Plessy took it to two
lower courts and lossed, then got to bring it up all
the way to the US Supreme Court.
7. II. Plessy V. Ferguson
2. Opinion of the Plaintiff:
– Homer Plessy believed that segregation violated
the 13th and 14th amendments of our constitution.
– Plessy and his attorneys also argued that the
amendments only effected 100% black people,
but since Homer Plessy was 7/8 white, it should
not effect him.
8. II. Plessy V. Ferguson
3. Opinion of the Defendant:
– John Howard Ferguson was the judge who denied
that the segregation act was a violation of the 13th
and 14th amendments in the smaller court system.
– He originally agreed with him, but then made his
opinion say that it’s the state decision whether or
not separate railroads are legal.
– He was only put on the name of the case because
he was on the initial appeal.
9. II. Plessy V. Ferguson
4. Supreme Court Decision and the
amendments used in the decision.
– In a 7 to 1 decision, The Supreme Court ruled in
favor of Ferguson (Defendant)
– The Supreme Court also stated that the 13th
amendment had no relativity to the case, but the
14th amendment only related to legal equality, not
social.
– The decision was solely based on the 13th and 14th
amendments.
10. III. Brown V. Board of Education
1. Overview of the case:
– In the 1950’s, Segregation of schools were one of the
biggest issues during that time.
– Linda Brown and her sister had a white school a mile
away but instead had to walk on the dangerous train
tracks for about two hours to get to the colored
school.
– The Browns went to a small court and got a decision
saying that it would be harmful for blacks to make
segregation legal.
– Brown and their attorneys appealed this case all the
way up to the Supreme Court.
11. III. Brown V. Board of Education
2. Opinion of the Plaintiff:
– The Browns and Thurgood Marshall, (their
attorney), believed that the current precedent of
Plessy V. Ferguson was wrong.
– They believe that the decision of the Board was
unconstitutional under the 14th amendment.
– Brown filed a lawsuit against the Topeka, Kansas
Board of education and lost twice.
– After losing they brought it to the supreme court
to get a final decision.
12. III. Brown V. Board of Education
3. Opinion of the defendant
– The Board of Education believed that if they ruled
in favor of no segregation, it would harm the
colored because they were never accustomed to
it.
– They also believed that the white were superior to
the colored and they did not want to give up there
segregation for someone else.
13. III. Brown V. Board of Education
4. Supreme Court Decision and amendments
used in the decision.
– In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor
of the Browns and Thurgood Marshall.
– The Supreme Court believed that the decision of Plessy V.
Ferguson was based on a time period that was not relevant
to now.
– The Supreme Court also ruled that besides segregation in
schools violated the 14th amendment, They believed that
segregation in general violated the 14th amendment.
– At the end of this case, segregation was completely
outlawed.
