NOTES: Landmark Supreme Court Cases Learning Target 3: Civil Rights Cases

Dred Scott Decision Dred Scott – slave sued for freedom after his owner took him to live in free state Supreme Court ruled that African Americans were not citizens Slaves did not have any protected rights Set stage for Civil War

1)Fourteenth Amendment Definition of Citizenship Right to Due Process and Equal Protection of the Law Ratified after Civil War Defined citizenship (natural born or naturalized) Applied due process to the States Guaranteed citizens equal protection of the law

Homer Plessy

2) Plessy v. Ferguson Segregated Railroad Cars “Separate but Equal Facilities” Challenged segregation laws in Louisiana Claimed 14 th Amendment right to equal protection Court upheld principle of “separate but equal” Provided legal basis for segregation and “Jim Crow” laws

End of Segregation in Schools Thurgood Marshall and fellow NAACP lawyers News of the Decision

3) Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas Segregated School in Topeka, KS Linda Brown and Her Family Challenged segregation in public schools Court reinterpreted equal protection clause of 14 th Amendment “Separate but equal” = inherently unequal – overturned Plessy decision Ended segregation in schools & guaranteed equal protection

Ernesto Miranda

4) Miranda v. Arizona Suspect Under Arrest Text of the Miranda Warning Suspect confessed without being read his rights Decision reaffirmed: right to remain silent and not answer questions without a lawyer Expanded 5 th Amendment Protection against self- incrimination

Fourteenth Amendment Cases Affirmative Action - Government programs that give preference to minority groups in order to address past discrimination Pros: Programs try to correct past discrimination and give minorities opportunities Cons: Might result in “reverse discrimination” against non-minority groups

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke Bakke was denied admission to UC Davis medical school when preference was given to minority applicants Bakke sued claiming his 14 th Amendment rights to equal protection were violated Court ruled that race could only be used as one criteria for admission, it could not be the only criteria

Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Pena Adarand Constructors was denied a government contract when preference was given to a minority owned company Adarand sued claiming their right to due process and equal protection under the 5 th and 14 th amendments was violated Court established a two- part test for affirmative action programs – 1) program must further a compelling government interest; 2) it must be “narrowly tailored”.

United States v. Virginia A female student was denied admission to VMI – an all-male military academy funded by the state of Virginia Student sued claiming her 14 th amendment right to equal protection was violated Court ruled that a male-only policy violated the 14 th Amendment – state could not provide a service for men that it did not make available to women