The Warren Court1954-1969

By Rebecca Johnson

Chief Justice Earl Warren• Chief Justice for 16 years (1954-1969)

Warren painting (online image) available http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.supremecourthistory.org/history/images/014_warren.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.supremecourthistory.org/history/supremecourthistory_history_chief_014warren.htm&usg=__Es9sWPmj8ydKsZBAuFNYeep4ICc=&h=400&w=310&sz=22&hl=en&start=1&sig2=xlJeBFZ6d6NeOJb_tQivSg&itbs=1&tbnid=g6EoO03mVyCwXM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=96&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dearl%2Bwarren%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=tLr5S_r8M8T7lwf_ytDLCg. 5/23/10.

• BUT as chief justice voted liberally on many civil rights cases

– Opposed efforts to make CA’s state assembly more representative of its people

– Pushed for Japanese Internment as Attorney General in California

• Previously had negative civil rights record

Brown vs. Board of Education

• 1954 Linda Brown walked 6 blocks to ride catch a bus to her segregated school 1 mile away.

Rockwell painting (online image) available http://www.learntoquestion.com/resources/database/archives/Norman%20Rockwell,%20the%20Problem%20we%20all%20live%20with.jpg. 5/23/10.

Which civil right was being violated?

•An all white school was 7 blocks from her house but she was not allowed to attend

14th amendment

Brown vs. Board of Education

Rockwell painting (online image) available http://www.learntoquestion.com/resources/database/archives/Norman%20Rockwell,%20the%20Problem%20we%20all%20live%20with.jpg. 5/23/10.

Overturned Plessy v Fergusson and the idea of separate but equal

• In 1961 Gideon stole $5 in change (from a jukebox) and some alcohol from a pool hall

• Couldn’t afford a lawyer & Florida did not provide them

• Sentenced to 5 years in jail, but researched legal rights and petitioned on prison notepaper.

Gideon v Wainwright (1963)

Gideon cartoon (online image) available www.billofrightsinstitute.org/.../cartoon3.jpg . 5/24/10.

Gideon (online image) available http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/images/gideon.jpg . 5/24/10.

Petition (online image) available http://www.ocpd.state.ct.us/images/Gideon%20Petition.gif 5/23/10.

6th and 14th amendments

Which civil right was being violated?

Baker v. Carr 1962

• Legislative districts HAD divided votes equally

Tennessee (online image) available http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/pagecgd109_tn2.gif. 5/24/10.

Tennessee (online image) available http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/pagecgd109_tn2.gif. 5/24/10.

Baker v. Carr 1962

• BUT as many people moved to the city…

• The districts kept the same percentage of votes. This meant that the city (urban) votes counted ______ than the country (rural) votes

Which civil right was being violated?

14th amendment

Mapp v. Ohio

Mapp (online image) available http://europeancourier.org/images/Mapp.jpg. 5/24/10.

• Ohio cops got a tip that Dollree Mapp was hiding a criminal, so they went to her house and demanded entrance.

• Mapp’s lawyer told her to demand a warrant which the cops did not have.

Mapp v. Ohio

• Cops came in anyway.

• Cops produced a fake warrant which Mapp shoved down her shirt.

• Didn’t find a criminal but found porn instead

xxx

• Mapp arrested for possession of “obscene” material.

Which civil right was being violated?

4th and 14th amendments

Engel v Vitale (1962)

• A public school in Hyde Park, NY required all kids to recite daily in school:

School prayer (online image) available http://www.constitutioncenter.org/timeline/flash/assets/asset_upload_file562_12288.jpg 5/24/10.

“Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country. Amen.”

Which civil right was being violated?

1st amendment

Miranda v Arizona (1966)• 1963 Ernesto Miranda arrested for

suspected kidnapping and rape of an 18-year-old woman

Miranda (online image) available http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/timeline/images/timeline_pic17.jpg 5/24/10.

• He signed a confession after 2 hours of confession.

•Never was informed of right to remain silent or right to lawyer

Which civil right was being violated?

5th amendment