Cases - 1951 term

Beauharnais v. Illinois

Wed, 28 Nov 1951 13:00:00 +0000

Location

Meeting where Beauharnais distributed leaflets to volunteers to be passed out throughout the City of Chicago the next day

S University Avenue and E 64 Street Chicago IL 60637

Chicago, IL 60637

United States

41° 46' 45.5808" N, 87° 35' 50.0568" W

See map: Google Maps

Case Basics

Docket No.

118

Petitioner

Joseph Beauharnais

Petitioner Type

Petitioner

Respondent

Illinois

Respondent Type

Respondent

Heard By

Vinson Court (1949-1953)

Decided By

Vinson Court (1949-1953)

Opinion

343 U.S. 250 (1952)

Argued

Wednesday, November 28, 1951

Decided

Monday, April 28, 1952

Advocates

Alfred A. Albert (argued the cause for the petitioner)

William C. Wines (argued the cause for the respondent)

Facts of the Case

Joseph Beauharnais, president of White Circle League, Inc., was arrested on January 7, 1950 for distributing leaflets on Chicago street corners. The leaflets called in part upon the mayor and aldermen of Chicago "to halt the further encroachment, harassment and invasion of white people…by the Negro." Beauharnais was charged with violating an Illinois law making it illegal to distribute any publication that "exposes the citizens of any race, color, creed or religion to contempt, derision, or obloquy." A jury found him guilty and he was fined $200. The Illinois Supreme Court affirmed his conviction.

Question

id Beuharnais' conviction under the Illinois statute violate his constitutional right to free speech under the First and Fourteenth Amendments?

Conclusion

No. In a 5 – 4 opinion authored by Justice Felix Frankfurter, the Court concluded that Beuharnais' speech amounted to libel and was therefore beyond constitutional protection. Citing the racial tensions of the day, the Court characterized Beuharnais' speech as provocative and rejected the argument that the Illinois statute could be easily abused, stating, "Every power may be abused, but the possibility of abuse is a poor reason for denying Illinois the power to adopt measures against criminal libels sanctioned by centuries of Anglo-American law."

Rochin v. California

Tue, 16 Oct 1951 13:00:00 +0000

Location

Residence of Rochin

1700 East 69th Street Los Angeles CA 90001

Los Angeles, CA 90001

United States

33° 58' 36.9768" N, 118° 14' 35.2464" W

See map: Google Maps

Case Basics

Docket No.

Petitioner

Rochin

Petitioner Type

Petitioner

Respondent

California

Respondent Type

Respondent

Heard By

Vinson Court (1949-1953)

Decided By

Vinson Court (1949-1953)

Opinion

342 U.S. 165 (1952)

Argued

Tuesday, October 16, 1951

Decided

Wednesday, January 2, 1952

Advocates

Dolly Lee Butler (Argued the cause for the petitioner)

Howard S. Goldin (Argued the cause for the respondent)

A. L. Wirin (Argued the cause for the petitioner)

Facts of the Case

Rochin swallowed drug capsules to dispose of evidence. The police pummeled him and jumped on his stomach in a vain effort to make him throw up. They took him to a hospital where a doctor was instructed by the police officers to administer an emetic by forceably passing a tube into Rochin's stomach. He vomited the capules and was convicted on the basis of the evidence produced from his vomit.

Question

Did the police procedure forcing Rochin to vomit violate the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment?

Conclusion

The Court reversed the conviction. The police violated Rochin's right to due process of law. Due process was an admittedly vague concept, but it prohibited "conduct that shocks the conscience." This nebulous approach was mocked in a concurring opinion by Justice Black.

Zorach v. Clauson

Thu, 31 Jan 1952 13:00:00 +0000

Location

NYC Board of Education

52 Chambers St New York NY 10007

New York, NY 10007

United States

40° 42' 49.0536" N, 74° 0' 19.2564" W

See map: Google Maps

Case Basics

Docket No.

431

Petitioner

Zorach

Petitioner Type

Petitioner

Respondent

Clauson

Respondent Type

Respondent

Heard By

Vinson Court (1949-1953)

Decided By

Vinson Court (1949-1953)

Opinion

343 U.S. 306 (1952)

Argued

Thursday, January 31, 1952

Decided

Monday, April 28, 1952

Advocates

Michael A. Castaldi (Argued the cause for the Board of Education of the City of New York, appellee)

Wendell P. Brown (Argued the cause for the Commissioner of Education of the State of New York, appellee)

Charles H. Tuttle (Argued the cause for the Greater New York Coordinating Committee on Released Time of Jews, Protestants and Roman Catholics, appellee)

Kenneth W. Greenawalt (Argued the cause for appellants)

Facts of the Case

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision in McCollum v. Board of Education, New York City began a program in which students in public schools could be dismissed from classroom activities for certain periods to participate in religious instruction elsewhere. In McCollum, the Court disallowed an Illinois program in which representatives of religious groups came to public schools and taught classes during the school day. New York's "released time" program was upheld by the New York Court of Appeals.

Question

Did the New York program violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment?

Conclusion

In a 6-to-3 decision, the Court held that the "released time" program neither constituted the establishment of religion nor interfered with the free exercise of religion. The Court noted that public facilities were not being used for the purpose of religious instruction and that "no student was forced to go to the religious classroom." Writing for the majority, Justice Douglas argued that there was "no constitutional requirement which makes it necessary for government to be hostile to religion and to throw its weight against efforts to widen the effective scope of religious influence."

Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer

Mon, 12 May 1952 13:00:00 +0000

Location

U.S. Department of Labor

200 Constitution Ave NW Washington DC 20210

Washington, DC 20210

United States

38° 53' 31.2288" N, 77° 0' 49.014" W

See map: Google Maps

Case Basics

Docket No.

744

Petitioner

Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co.

Petitioner Type

Petitioner

Respondent

Sawyer

Respondent Type

Respondent

Heard By

Vinson Court (1949-1953)

Decided By

Vinson Court (1949-1953)

Opinion

343 U.S. 579 (1952)

Argued

Monday, May 12, 1952

Decided

Monday, June 2, 1952

Facts of the Case

In April of 1952, during the Korean War, President Truman issued an executive order directing Secretary of Commerce Charles Sawyer to seize and operate most of the nation's steel mills. This was done in order to avert the expected effects of a strike by the United Steelworkers of America.

Question

Did the President have the constitutional authority to seize and operate the steel mills?

Conclusion

Decision: 6 votes for Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co., 3 vote(s) against
Legal provision: US Const. Art. II

In a 6-to-3 decision, the Court held that the President did not have the authority to issue such an order. The Court found that there was no congressional statute that authorized the President to take possession of private property. The Court also held that the President's military power as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces did not extend to labor disputes. The Court argued that "the President's power to see that the laws are faithfully executed refutes the idea that he is to be a lawmaker."