Case Closed: SCOTUS Rulings That Changed America

The reason your coffee from a certain clown themed fast food chain reads “caution hot.” The reason interracial couples can get married. The reason women can’t be barred from working due to pregnancy. All of these and more are thanks to the Supreme Court’s rulings. Believe it or not SCOTUS impacts our everyday lives from small details like our coffee orders to major life decisions like whether or not you can marry someone of the same sex. 

Now, trying to summarize the more than 200 years of SCOTUS rulings into one blog is a feat that will leave you all reading several textbooks’ worth of rough drafts. Even I wouldn’t put you all through something like that. While our last podcast highlighted two court cases that shaped students’ rights and the procedures and limitations of the court, today we’ll explore the stories and impacts of two more cases that shaped America. 

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Our first case is Mapp v. Ohio which almost feels like a television drama in nature. In the 1950s Dollree Mapp was suspected to be harboring a suspect for a recent bombing. A fairly wild start to our story, but it gets even weirder. 

Police came to search the home for their suspect, but they didn’t have a warrant to enter and search Mapp’s home. Mapp refused to let the police enter because of this. Subsequently, the police left and returned a few hours later claiming to have a warrant while holding up a piece of paper, which they wouldn’t allow Mapp to see. With this “warrant” the police forced their way into Mapp’s home. 

While they did not find their bombing suspect they found something that apparently was equally appalling. Pornographic material in a footlocker within the basement. Interestingly despite looking for a bombing suspect the police searched the footlocker, which was too small for a man to hide in. Knowingly possessing pornographic material was illegal under Ohio state law, so Mapp was convicted and served jail time despite the trial court failing to find evidence of a valid warrant.

In summary, a woman was presumed to be housing a bombing suspect, so police held up a paper called it a warrant and forced their way into her home. They searched spaces too small for a person to hide, found porn, and arrested the woman not for being involved in a bombing, but for knowing that porn was in her house. 

Mapp naturally appealed the court’s decision and the Ohio Supreme court ruled that state’s were able to use evidence acquired without a warrant as SCOTUS’s ruling on Weeks v. United States (1914) only applied to federal court cases. Mapp then turned to the Supreme Court who heard her case in 1961. In a 6-3 ruling SCOTUS ruled in favor of Mapp arguing that evidence obtained in violation of the Constitution, in this case the Fourth Amendment, could not be used in court. This effectively overturned the Ohio Supreme Court’s ruling and henceforth made U.S. states’ trials only valid if evidence is lawfully obtained. You have Mapp v. Ohio to thank as the reason authorities are unable to illegally enter your home and use whatever they want from that search to convict you of a crime. If you value your privacy I’d say a little thank you to Dollree Mapp and 1961’s SCOTUS.

Texas v. Johnson (1989)

Texas v. Johnson is another case that is often forgotten, but has massive implications. Nearly everyone has heard at some point of the First Amendment and how it protects your freedom of speech. However, where the realm of free speech began and ended wasn’t as fleshed out as it is today. Gregory Lee Johnson and the State of Texas learned this the hard way. 

In 1984, during the National Republican Convention, Johnson was part of a demonstration opposing the policies of President Reagan and nuclear weapons outside of Dallas City Hall. An American flag was handed to Johnson and he burned it as the group shouted out, “America, the red, white, and blue, we spit on you.” Nobody was harmed or even threatened during the protest, but some witnesses described feeling deeply offended. 

Enter Texas Penal Code Section 42.09: a Texas state law that Johnson had broken by disrespecting the national flag in a way that others deemed offensive. Johnson was arrested and convicted because of this, but he appealed. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals agreed with him and overturned his conviction, but still asked the Supreme Court to take a look at the case. SCOTUS was on Johnson’s side and ruled against Texas’s law. 

Now, it’s easy to ask how a case ruling that burning the flag is protected under the First Amendment could have a grand impact. However, as I mentioned in our last podcast episode, SCOTUS rulings’ impact is often found in the implications and technicalities. In saying that flag burnings are constitutional under the First Amendment it reaffirms the idea that free speech is more than verbal rhetoric. Behaviors and actions can also be protected. Efforts to abridge free speech, whether it be spoken language or symbolic actions, are illegal at all levels. Even if what’s being said/done goes against our own beliefs. Somebody should tell Congress to read more into SCOTUS rulings.

Honestly, maybe we all should read more into SCOTUS rulings. It’s easy to forget how much the Supreme Court’s decisions can shape American policy, but if the headlines regarding Roe v. Wade and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard shows that understanding the court and its influence can help us make educated decisions on our votes and politics. Both of today’s cases were normal people fighting for their rights and starting a chain of events that set legal precedent for the rest of us. You never know. The next voter might just start the next big thing.