Case Law Presentations

Common Law Landmark Decisions

Landmark Decisions
• Court rulings in common law jurisdictions which mark an important
stage or turning point.
Presentations
• 2 – 4 minutes in length
• Present orally in class, a summary of the case:
• Who are the parties involved?
• What is the background (history) of the case?
• What laws might it have affected or changed?
• Interesting facts about the case, parties, etc..
• Dissenting opinions vs concurring opinions?
• Any other important information.
What I am looking for…
• Speaking ability
• Grammar, pronunciation, legal terms.
• Try to avoid reading the information
Some landmark cases you can choose from:
• Dred Scott v. Sandford - Treatment of slaves after the Civil war
• Plessy v. Ferguson – Segregation
• Brown v. Board of Education – Segregation in schools.
• Obergefell v. Hodges – Same-sex marriage
• Roe v. Wade – Abortion
• Gonzales v. Oregon – Assisted Suicide
• Katz v. United States – Unreasonable search and seizure
• Riley v. California – Unreasonable search and seizure- cell phones
• Miranda v. Arizona – Right to remain silent
• Rasul v. Bush – Wrongful imprisonment (Guantanamo Bay)
• Furman v. Georgia – Capital Punishment
• Marbury v. Madison – Common law
• New York Times Co v. Sullivan – Libel laws
• Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission – Corporate donations to political campaigns
• Snyder v. Phelps – Protests of funerals and tort law
• Reynolds v. United States – Religious belief as a use of defense
• Boys Scouts of America v. Dale – Sexual orientation in private orzanizations