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Use Cases
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Resources
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Pricing
Dec 9 1952 - May 17 1954
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This case is argued to be the most well-known ruling of the 20th century. This case overturned Plessy v. Ferguson. The case established that " separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." The case began in December 1952 and was decided on May 17th 1954. The case arouse in Kansas, South Carolina, Virgina, Delaware, and Washington D.C. with relation to the segregation of public schools on the basis of race. The court had a unanimous decision explaining that the separate-but-equal doctrine violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. This was important in helping end legally mandate race-segregated schools.
April 1962 - June 1962
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This was a case that was similar to the Abington School District v. Schempp case of 1963. The two cases shaped the understanding of how the Clause of the First Amendment constrains prayer in public schools. For Engel, the Court struck down the New York State rule that allowed public schools to hold a short, nondenominational prayer. Through the case the Court finally decided that the prayers amounted to an "official stamp of approval" because of one particular kind of prayer. Basically the case found that the short school prayer authorized by New York public school officials violated the first amendment. This was important to education because it shared the importance of prayer.
1963
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This case occured because under Pennsylvania law, public schools were required to read from the bible at the beginning of each school day. The school district wanted to enjoin in enforcing of the statue. The ruling found that the statue violated the First Amendment. The statute did however permit a student to excuse himself. This case was related to the Engel case. The Court has consolidated the case with one involving Maryland atheists. They had challenged a city rule that allowed for opening exercises.
1969
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This case was made because of an incident that occurred at a school in Iowa. Following the rise of the Vietnam War, students in Des Moines Independent Community School District in Iowa wore black armbands to school expressing their dissatisfaction with U.S. foreign policy. The district passed a rule prohibiting these armbands as a dress code. Students challenged this ban as a violation of the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. In the case the court agreed with what the students were saying and struck down the ban. The court said that the school had to prove that the conduct or speech needed to interfere materially or substantially. The ban was never justified helping to make the case. This case was important because it impacted the First Amendment jurisprudence.
1971
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This case dealt with a controversy that dealt with a statute providing financial support for teacher salaries. The court unanimously decided that this financial aid scheme violated a clause. Both Pennsylvania and Rhode Island had adopted statutes that provided for the state to pay. Basically this law was important because it involved the salaries that were being made during this time. The district court found in favor of the appellees. They held a statute that violated the First Amendment. The rulings were important for teachers because it supported the annual salaries for the teachers that were involved in the states.
Dec 8, 1971 - May 15, 1972
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This case happened because of a few members of the Conservative Amish Mennonite Church. Three parents refused to send their children to schools after the eight grade. They argued that high school attendance was contrary to their religious beliefs. The Court found that individuals interests in the free exercise of religion under the First Amendment outweighed the states interests in compelling school attendance beyond the eight grade. This legislation was important for the people that created and for people that would future practice their religious beliefs. It some ways it was negative because it allowed children to be taken from their education. But it is also important to understand the religious views of the parents involved and how they wanted to raise their children differently.
1972
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This court case happened because Texas public elementary and secondary schools rely on local property taxes for supplemental revenue. A parent knowing this decide to fight against it because the schools in the community lacked the property tax base that other districts utilized. They relied on assessable property and needed the money that they were not receiving. The Court refused to examine the system with strict scrutiny since there is no fundamental right to education in the Constitution. This meant that the system was not systematically discriminating against all poor people in Texas. Other people still argued of the justice and the ruling that was made.
1985
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This case happened after a student was caught smoking cigarettes in school. She was confronted by the school's vice principal who asked the girl to hand over her purse. When the girl refused she forced her to hand it over. The vice principal searched the girls purse and found drug paraphernalia and called the police. The student was then charged with multiple crimes and finally expelled. The girls lawyer then argued that the evidence should not be able to be used in court because it violated the Fourth Amendment of protection against unreasonable searches. The Supreme Court ruled that the Fourth Amendment does constrain the action of school officials. This was important because it helped set a rule for the expectations of privacy for students while making rules for the way to follow through with situations.
1995
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This occurred because in 1990 George H.W. Bush had signed the Gun-Free School Zones ACt. This prohibited the possession of firearms in designated school zones. Lopez was a 12th grader who was a student at Texas High School. He was caught carrying a gun at his school and was charged. He challenged the conviction. This was important to Fun-Free School Zone Act. It helped shed light on an important issue that still comes up today with gun violence. Regulations were passed because of the law
2007
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This was a Supreme court ruling that related to the 2003 ruling in Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutte v. Bollinger that race based classification were being using in affirmative action policies. In light of these rulings a Seattle School District established a scheme for admission to competitive public schools in the district. The scheme involved racial diversity and its role in decision. People were unhappy with this and challenged the Supreme Court. They had to decide if the Egual Protection Clause had any bearing on the case. They later decided that earlier decisions for college affirmative action did not apply to public schools and that racial diversity should not be an interest for public school admission.