On June 11, 1993, the United State's Supreme Court upheld Wisconsin's penalty enhancement law, which imposes harsher sentences on criminals who intentionally select the person against whom the crime is committed, because of the race, religion, color, disability, sexual orientation, nationa...

I have chosen the United States Federal Court System as my topic of research. I believe the U.S Federal Court System is paramount to our criminal justice system. Today the Federal Court System is a complex structure of courts and actors working together in an imperfect process to deliver justice. Th...

Constitutionality of the Death Penalty And the Case of Furman V. Georgia Furman v. Georgia was a landmark case in the annals of American Law because it was the first time the Supreme Court turned to the controversial question of capital punishment. Capital punishment has always been a hotly de...

Beginning in Chicago, Illinois in 1899, a distinction was made between crime committed by adults and crime committed by juveniles. With the help of Jane Adams and other reformers, a separate court was set up for juvenile offenders. This new court for youthful offenders was designed to "place g...

In 1927, the use, selling, and growing of marijuana became illegal. With the passing of these restrictions, there were several direct violations of the United States Constitution. The Constitution was put in place to guarantee that all Americans would be protected under it. Not being able to use,...

Major issues state governments confront in the U.S. are basic issues that people have a lot to say about. These issues are interest group pressure, waste management, gambling, abortion, gun control, capital punishment, and emergency services. But first let's look at why people vote or do not ...

Since the incredible events of September 11, we Americans have had plenty to be concerned about: the nation has been grieving over the tragic loss of lives, nervous about the economic fall out from the attacks, reluctant to fly in commercial aircraft, anxious over the threat of bio-terrorism deliver...

In recent years, Euthanasia has become a very heated debate. It is a Greek word that means "easy death" but the controversy surrounding it is just the opposite. Whether the issue is refusing prolonged life mechanically, assisting suicide, or active euthanasia, we eventually confront our socity's fea...

In Miranda v. Arizona 384 U.S. 436 (1966), the defendant was arrested at his home for rape and taken to a police station, where he was identified by the complaining witness. The defendant was then interrogated and within two hours signed a written confession. At no time was the defendant informed ...

What is more important... absolute protection of the First Amendment, or the right to equality as guaranteed in the Fourteenth Amendment? Furthermore, what exactly IS guaranteed by the First Amendment, and what lies outside the boundaries? Virginia v Black 123 S.Ct. 1536 (2003) addresses the issue o...

According to Brian Bix, law is most often considered with deciding who gets to decide cases. In America's political system, this question is often distinguished. Much controversy and debate is focused on federalism. At what level should decisions be made, (individual, municipal, state or fed...

CONSTITUTIONAL LAWTwo foundations of our government, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. -Individual rights from God, give up some liberty to the state.-A federation is a union of states.-States do not give up their own sovereignty.-Taxation supports the army-balance of power--abs...

Racism has existed in the United States for hundreds of years. While the issues of racism came to a head in the civil rights era of this country, the issue is still alive and well within many aspects of society. Research shows that Americans are still very influenced by ethnic origin, and...

When our forefathers created the Constitution, they were not aware of the dramatic changes in the future. The first ten amendments which are also known as the Bill of Rights, are the most prominent rights given to an individual in the United States of America. The First Amendment, Congress shall ...

The Separation of School and State Families, these days, are becoming more and more religious; yet they can not decide if religion should actually be a part of the school day. Whether or not religion should be allowed in public schools is a very controversial issue. Some pe...

The incidents of April 20, 1999 from Columbine High School in Littleton,Colorado put the consequences of student privacy in schools into a newperspective. Two students, Dylan Klebold and Ryan Harris, who were, forall intents, intelligent and well adjusted went on a killing spree. ...

Johnson -1-THE BILL OF RIGHTSBy the end of the eighteenth century, the majority of Americans had come to believe that government was created by citizens who consent to live under its laws in order to protect their rights of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." They also felt that a written...

Fourteenth Amendment Before the slaves were freed, most citizens relied on their states to be protectors of their basic rights against the federal government (Klotter, Kanovitz, and Kanovitz 24). After the war freed the slaves, the relationship between the national government and state governmen...

According to Shinto legend two gods, Izanagi and Izanami, which were brother and sister, dipped a spear into the ocean and drops from the spear formed the island of Onokorojima. Izanagi and Izanami then fell to earth and married. Izanami then gave birth to the islands of Japan and a couple more gods...

Euthanasia In recent years, Euthanasia has become a very heated debate. It is a Greek word that means "easy death" but the controversy surrounding it is just the opposite. Whether the issue is refusing prolonged life mechanically, assisting suicide, or active euthanasia, we eventually confront our s...

EuthanasiaIn recent years, Euthanasia has become a very heated debate. It is a Greek word that means "easy death" but the controversy surrounding it is just the opposite. Whether the issue is refusing prolonged life mechanically, assisting suicide, or active euthanasia, we eventually confront our so...