Mr. Beat
Is the Death Penalty Illegal?!? | Gregg v. Georgia
In episode 62 of Supreme Court Briefs, the Supreme Court determines the death penalty is unconstitutional, but then later says it actually kind of is.
Mr. Beat
When Does Speech Incite Violence? | Brandenburg v. Ohio
In episode 17 of Supreme Court Briefs, a KKK leader gets his hate rally on TV, and then promptly gets arrested. Wait a second, what about freedom of speech?
Mr. Beat
When Abortion Became Legal | Roe v. Wade
In the first episode of Supreme Court Briefs, Mr. Beat explains one of the most controversial cases in American history- Roe v. Wade. A young woman named Norma McCorvey was single, pregnant, and scared about her future. She wanted an...
Mr. Beat
Why Most People Lose Defamation Lawsuits | New York Times v. Sullivan
In episode 70 of Supreme Court Briefs, a police commissioner sues the New York Times for defamation after it runs an ad that talks trash about his department.
Mr. Beat
Why You Get a Lawyer If You Can't Afford One | Gideon v. Wainwright
In episode 9 of Supreme Court Briefs, a man can't afford a lawyer, struggles to defend himself in court, gets convicted of a crime he didn't commit, writes a letter, and everything turns out all groovy.
Mr. Beat
Why Stop-and-Frisk is Legal | Terry v. Ohio
In episode 55 of Supreme Court Briefs, an undercover detective stops and frisks three men who were acting "suspiciously" outside of a jewelry store. Was that an invasion of their Fourth Amendment rights?
Mr. Beat
How Long Does a Patent Last? | Impression Products v. Lexmark
In episode 40 of Supreme Court Briefs, a printer toner manufacturer sues a company that refills their printer toner cartridges and resells them for a lower price. How long does a patent last, anyway?
Mr. Beat
When the Supreme Court Justified Japanese Internment Camps | Korematsu v. United States
In episode 36 of Supreme Court Briefs, after the United States government forces Japanese American citizens into relocation centers during World War II, one man refuses and gets himself into some big trouble.
Mr. Beat
Do Students Have Free Speech in School? | Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
In episode 29 of Supreme Court Briefs, students protest the Vietnam War by wearing armbands to school. After some of them get suspended for doing so, the families sue the school district, arguing the students' First Amendment rights were...
Mr. Beat
Going to Prison For Criticizing the Government | Debs v. United States
In episode 13 of Supreme Court Briefs, Eugene Debs gives a speech criticizing war and praising socialism. He promptly gets arrested for breaking the Sedition Act, and spends the next several years fighting for his freedom.
Mr. Beat
Same-Sex Marriage Becomes Legal | Obergefell v. Hodges
In episode 12 of Supreme Court Briefs, a gay couple go to great lengths to get married, and ultimately help change how the Supreme Court interprets the 14th amendment as it pertains to same-sex marriage.
Mr. Beat
Why You Can Buy The Next President | Citizens United v. FEC
In episode 10 of Supreme Court Briefs, a corporation argues it has the right to spend as much money as it wants on a political campaign because of the First Amendment.
Mr. Beat
The War Your American History Teachers Probably Didn't Tell You About
Mr. Beat tells the story of the Philippine-American War.
Mr. Beat
How Animal Guts Gutted the 14th Amendment | The Slaughterhouse Cases
In episode 51 of Supreme Court Briefs, animal guts in the drinking water of New Orleans leads to the first major interpretation of the 14th Amendment by the Supreme Court.
Mr. Beat
"Separate But Equal" | Plessy v. Ferguson
In episode 50 of Supreme Court Briefs, a man with lighter skin is arrested after refusing to leave the whites-only railway car of a segregated train in the Jim Crow South.
Mr. Beat
Can the Government Force You Out of Your House? | Kelo v. New London
In episode 48 of Supreme Court Briefs, a woman gets kicked out of her home. She fights back.
Mr. Beat
Affirmative Action for College? | Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
In episode 45 of Supreme Court Briefs, a man claims to be reverse discriminated against when he applies for UC Davis Medical School. Does affirmative action go against the Constitution?
Mr. Beat
How the Supreme Court Decided the 2000 Election | Bush v. Gore
In episode 39 of Supreme Court Briefs, it's the most controversial Presidential election in American history (except maybe the Election of 1860 or Election of 1824), mainly because the Supreme Court ultimately decides its outcome.
Mr. Beat
The Supreme Court Ruling That Led To 70,000 Forced Sterilizations | Buck v. Bell
In episode 35 of Supreme Court Briefs, the state of Virginia passes a law saying that stupid or immoral people are not allowed to have kids and must be sterilized. A woman named Carrie Buck fights back. Yes, this all actually happened.
Mr. Beat
When The Supreme Court Tried to Prevent Indian Removal | Worcester v. Georgia
In episode 30 of Supreme Court Briefs, the Supreme Court makes an important ruling, and the state of Georgia and Andrew Jackson completely ignore it.
Mr. Beat
Why Illegal Immigrants Can Attend Public School | Plyler v. Doe
In episode 26 of Supreme Court Briefs, illegal immigrants get kicked out of public schools in Tyler, Texas and a local district starts charging them to attend school there because they're illegal.
Mr. Beat
A Pathway to Same-Sex Marriage | United States v. Windsor
In episode 21 of Supreme Court Briefs, two women get married in Canada, but the United States federal government does not legally recognize it thanks to a law called the Defense of Marriage Act.