Cette série plonge au cœur de l'histoire américaine à travers des décisions judiciaires marquantes. Chaque volume examine comment ces affaires ont non seulement façonné le système juridique, mais ont également profondément influencé les normes sociétales et la trajectoire politique de la nation. Elle offre des perspectives captivantes à quiconque s'intéresse à l'intersection du droit, de l'histoire et de la culture.
The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1868, sought to protect the rights of the newly freed slaves; but its first important test - centered on a vitriolic dispute among the white butchers of mid-Reconstruction New Orleans - did not arise until five years later. This is a guide to one of the US Supreme Court's most famous cases.
The book explores the Supreme Court's 1997 rulings against a constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide, delving into the tension between individual liberty and the emotional weight of human suffering. It examines the implications of these decisions on personal autonomy and societal values, highlighting the complex ethical landscape surrounding end-of-life choices. Through this analysis, it engages with the broader conversation about the role of government in personal matters of life and death.
In the Chicago suburb of Skokie, one out of every six Jewish citizens in the late 1970s was a survivor -- or was directly related to a survivor -- of the Holocaust. These victims of terror had resettled in America expecting to lead peaceful lives free from persecution. But their safe haven was shattered when a neo-Nazi group announced its intention to parade there in 1977. Philippa Strum's dramatic retelling of the events in Skokie (and in the courts) shows why the case ignited such enormous controversy and challenged our understanding of and commitment to First Amendment values.The debate was clear-cut: American Nazis claimed the right of free speech while their Jewish "targets" claimed the right to live without intimidation. The town, arguing that the march would assault the sensibilities of its citizens and spark violence, managed to win a court injunction against the marchers. In response, the American Civil Liberties Union took the case and successfully defended the Nazis' right to free speech.Skokie had all the elements of a difficult case: a clash of absolutes, prior restraint of speech, and heated public sentiment. In recreating it, Strum presents a detailed account and analysis of the legal proceedings as well as finely delineated portraits of the protagonists: Frank Collin, National Socialist Party of America leader and the son of a Jewish Holocaust survivor; Skokie community leader Sol Goldstein, a Holocaust survivor who planned a counter demonstration against the Nazis; Skokie mayor Albert Smith, who wanted only to protect his townspeople; and ACLU attorney David Goldberger, caught in the ironic position of being a Jew defending the rights of Nazis against fellow Jews.While the ACLU did win the case, it was a costly victory -- 30,000 of its members left the organization. And in the end, ironically, the Nazis never did march in Skokie.Forcefully argued, Strum's book shows' that freedom of speech must be defended even when the beneficiaries of that defense are far from admirable individuals. It raises both constitutional and moral issues critical to our understanding of free speech and carries important lessons for current controversies over hate speech on college campuses, inviting readers to think more carefully about what the First Amendment really means.
Relates the story behind Marbury v Madison and explains why it is a foundational case for understanding the US Supreme Court. Nelson reveals how John Marshall deftly avoided a dangerous political confrontation between the executive and judicial branches by upholding the rule of law, and how he... číst celé
"Although huge in scope and impact, the 9/11 attacks were not the first threat by foreign terrorists on American soil. During World War II, eight Germans landed on our shores in 1942 bent on sabotage. Caught before they could carry out their missions, under FDR's presidential proclamation they were hauled before a secret military tribunal and found guilty. Meeting in an emergency session, the Supreme Court upheld the tribunal's authority. Justice was swift: six of the men were put to death - a sentence much more harsh than would have been allowed in a civil trial." "Louis Fisher chronicles the capture, trial, and punishment of the Nazi saboteurs in order to examine the extent to which procedural rights are suspended in time of war. One of America's leading constitutional scholars, Fisher analyzes the political, legal, and administrative context of the Supreme Court decision Ex parte Quirin (1942). He reconstructs a rush to judgment that has striking relevance to current events by considering the reach of the law in trials conducted against wartime enemies."--Jacket.
The military trial of William Calley for his role in the slaughter of 500 or more Vietnamese civilians at My Lai shocked a nation already sharply divided over a controversial war. This work is a retelling of the My Lai story through the prism of the law. číst celé