Existing comment:
1953-2005: The Warren, Burger, and Rehnquist Courts
Chief Justice Earl Warren, 1953-1969, appointed by Eisenhower
Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, 1969-1986, appointed by Nixon
Chief Jutice William H. Rehnquist, 1986-2005, appointed by Reagan
Separate is NOT Equal:
Among the most well-known cases of the 20th century is Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954). This landmark decision overturned the precedent set in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), which permitted segregation to continue as long as separate facilities were considered equal.
Through efforts led largely byt he NAACP, lawsuits were filed as early as the 1930s claiming that segregation was unconstitutional. Their efforts culminated in Brown v. Board when the Court unanimously announced that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. This decision was a catalyst that led to the end of segregation in America.
You Have the Right...
A new focus on the extent of civil rights and liberties for all Americans brought the Court to the forefront of national debates as they were asked to determine how the Constitution applied to and protected these freedoms.
1963: Right to council: Gideon v. Wainwright
1965: Right to privacy: Griswold v. Connecticut
1966: Reading rights upon arrest: Miranda v. Arizona
1969: Right to free speech in schools: Tinker v. Des Moines
1973: Women's reproductive rights: Roe v. Wade
New Faces on the Bench:
The last half of the 20th century saw the first African American and the first women join the Court. Thurgood Marshall, who gained fame arguing for the NAACP in cases such as Brown v. Board, was appointed to the Court in 1967. Fourteen years later, noted judge Sandra Day O'Connor joined the Court.
Other Duties as Assigned:
The Justices meet in Conference to review petitions, as well as to discuss and vote on cases heard during oral argument. Only the Justices are allowed in the room, therefore the junior Justice acts as the "doorkeeper," sending and receiving any messages or materials. Justice Stephen G. Breyer held this position longer than any other modern day Justice, waiting eleven and a half years for a new member to arrive.
Judicial Fashions:
The 1990s saw changes in the traditional black robes worn by the Justices.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor chose to complete her robe with a jabot, or lace neckpiece, a practice continued by Justice Ginsburg.
Chief Justice Rehnquist added gold stripes on the sleeves of his robe, inspired by a costume he saw in an opera.
1954: Brown v. Board
1957: Elvis releases "Jailhouse Rock"
1963: Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech
1963: Gideon v. Wainwright
1966: Miranda v. Arizona
1967: First African American Justice: Thurgood Marshall
1969: Man on the moon
1972: Watergate break-in
1974: US v. Nixon
1975: US troops leave Vietnam
1977: Star Wars released
1981: First woman Justice: Sandra Day O'Connor
1989: Fall of the Berlin Wall
1989: Texas v. Johnson
1990: Americans with Disabilities Act
1991: First website created
1992: Planned Parenthood v. Casey
2000: Bush v. Gore
2001: September 11 attacks |