What are Court Cases?

Court cases refer to an official legal review of a dispute between opposing parties. Court cases can evaluate a number of legal issues that arise between opposing parties; the severity of the charges and the subject matter revolving around court cases will greatly vary based on a case by case circumstance.

There are two predominant types of court cases: civil or criminal. Within each court case; however, there is a defending party (individual or party who is defending the claims made against them) and an accusing party or plaintiff who seeks justice for the alleged wrongdoing precipitated by the defending party.

Types of Court Cases:

Civil Court Cases: Civil court cases, which are commonly known as lawsuits, begin when a plaintiff files a legally binding document called a complaint with a formal court system. The complaint, which initiates all civil court cases, informs the court of the wrong that was delivered by the defendant and caused the plaintiff to allegedly suffer some form of physical or monetary damage. Civil court cases, similar to all forms of court cases, aim to find a resolution or legal remedy to the underlying problem.

A civil case, in contrast to criminal court cases, can be resolved outside of the courtroom through arbitration or mediation. This form of remedy sought may be an injunction (which requires the defendant to perform or refrain from delivering some sort of action), an exchange of money, or a declaratory judgment, which will determine that the plaintiff has established legal rights that cannot be infringed. Whoever wins the declaratory judgment will be either released from custody or will get nothing, if the winning party is the accuser.

The plaintiff, in civil court cases, must make a genuine effort to inform the defendant of the case through a service of process, where the plaintiff delivers to the defendant similar documents that the plaintiff filed with the court. At any point during civil court cases, the parties may agree to partake in a settlement, which effectively ends the case, although in some situations, such as in class action lawsuits, a settlement will require court approval in order to maintain its legal binding status.

Criminal Court Cases: In common law jurisdictions, criminal court cases begin when a person suspected of a crime or felony is indicted by a grand jury or charged with the offense by a government official (district attorney or prosecutor).

Similar to civil court cases, all criminal court cases may also be settled before a formal trial; this process, which is known as a plea bargain, is offered in some jurisdictions and will be made available in alignment with the severity of the allegation. If a person does not attend a trial on their scheduled court date, they will incur additional penalties.

Common elements of all Court Cases:

All court cases, whether civil or criminal, are based off the idea that any dispute will be resolved when a legal procedure is attached to the issue; the legal procedure in all court cases will evaluate all evidence and facts involved in the case. The legal procedure, thus, determines the truth of the issue with respect to claims of guilt, liability, innocence or a lack of fault.

Who is Rodney King?

Rodney King was born on April 2, 1965 and is best known for his involvement in a police brutality case that involved the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991.

Rodney King’s Confrontation with the LAPD:

On the night of March 2, 1991, Rodney King and two passengers (Freddie Helms and Bryant Allen) were driving in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California. Prior to driving, Rodney King and his two friends spent the night watching a basketball and consuming alcoholic beverages at a friend’s house.

At 12:30 am, Officers Melanie and Tim Singer (a husband and wife team of the LAPD’s California Highway patrol department spotted King’s speeding down the highway. According to statements issued by Rodney King, he originally refused to pull over because a DUI conviction would violate his parole for a previous robbery charge.

Instead of pulling over, Rodney King exited the freeway where a chase continued through residential neighborhoods at speeds ranging from 55 to 80 miles per hour. At this juncture, several police units and a helicopter had joined the chase. Following approximately 8 miles of driving, the officers eventually cornered Rodney King’s automobile. When the officers approached the car they demanded that the passengers exit the vehicle and lie face down on the ground—orders which were immediately respected by Helms and Allen. While the passengers exited the car, Rodney King remained in the vehicle.  When King finally exited the car, he acted in a disorderly fashion. While acted brazenly, Officer Melanie Singer removed her gun and demanded that King lie on the ground—Singer’s actions were prompted by a gesture made by Rodney King that appeared as though he was reaching for a weapon.

Use of a Taser:

When Officer Singer approached Rodney King to make the arrest, other officers intervened to subdue King. When the officers surrounded Rodney King he physically resisted; Rodney King rose to his feet and allegedly struck some of the officers on the scene. During this time, King refused further orders to get down on the ground. This refusal ultimately sparked Officer Stacey Koon to fire a Taser into King’s back.  The Taser shot temporarily forced Rodney King to his knees.

When King stood back up, Koon fired the Taser again, which ultimately knocked King to the ground. During the second Taser shot, officers converged on King and struck the man with their batons, hitting him in the head. The officers hit Rodney King several times with their batons. As King tried to get up again, the officers delivered blows to King’s joints, ultimately disabling him. Finally, after 56 baton blows and six kicks, five officers swarmed King, placed him in handcuffs, and dragged him on his stomach to the side of the road to await the arrival of a rescue ambulance.

While the officers were beating King, George Holliday, a private citizen, caught the entire beating on video from his nearby apartment.

Aftermath of the Beating:

From the beating Rodney King suffered a broken right ankle, a fracture facial bone and numerous bruises and cuts. The Los Angeles district attorney charged officers Powell, Briseno, Wind and Koon with use of excessive force. The scene sparked national attention and led to numerous riots throughout the city of Los Angeles. The riots grew so severe that the U.S. Army, the Marines and the National Guard were called in to restore order. The riots caused more than 7,000 fires, 53 deaths, nearly 2,400 injuries and over $1 billion in financial losses.

The trial was heard in a federal court where Officer Powell and Sergeant Koon were found guilty by the grand jury. For their charges the two officers received 30 months in prison—the other officers were acquitted of all charges. Rodney King, in turn, was awarded $3.8 million in a civil case.

What is a Case Study?

A case study is a distinct type of research methods that is incorporated within the field of social science.  A case study is a research paper that is delivered in a specific format and submitted as a formalized document. A case study can come in many forms and are typically evaluated and developed in an academic or business setting.

All Case studies require the exhaustive evaluation in alignment with the studying of a person, a small group of individuals, a single situation, or a specific case. Case studies are developed to reveal a correlation between two factors; case studies are used to elucidate upon a social phenomenon, a legal matter, or an empirical question to reveal whether or not a causal relationship can be proven.

For example, a common social case study may reveal that a lot of criminals tend to look at or purchase pornographic material. This information and subsequent conclusion would reveal that there is a direct correlation or at least an association between committing crimes and purchasing pornography.  Although there is no scientific evidence that links observing pornography to committing crimes, case studies in this example, simply reveal a correlation between the two.

The evaluation of case studies is based on the in-depth investigation of a single individual, a group, or a specific event. As a result of this somewhat broad definition, case studies may be descriptive or explanatory in nature. The latter form is typically used to explore causation in order to find the underlying principles of a particular legal matter or social phenomenon.

Why is a Case Study Used?

In academic circles, particularly business schools, a case study will be used to evaluate individual or consumer behavior in alignment with a particular industry or market. Harvard business cases, for example, are complex analytical tools that will elucidate upon the relationship between a group of consumers and a broader sociological issue. For example, common case studies may evaluate alternative energy sources and their direct benefit or cost placed on the environment and the individual consumer.

A case study can be used for an assortment of reasons, but for the most part, the information-based study aims at revealing a relationship between an individual and a greater entity to decipher why people make the decisions they make or why something purchased or obtained imposes particular aftereffects.

Harvard Business Cases:

When the Harvard business school first started, the faculty members quickly realized that there were no textbooks or scholarly journals that were suitable to teach a graduate program in business. The faculty’s first solution was to interview leading business professionals and to create detailed accounts of how those individuals operated in their particular businesses. These Harvard business cases were typically written by the faculty themselves and later refined in the classroom before they were published.

Additional documentation, such as financial statements, short biographies and time-lines were attached to these Harvard business cases to further elaborate the behavioral methods of professionals. As a result, these compiled reports acted as the foundation for the Harvard business school’s curriculum; students evaluated the decisions made by these professionals  and drew conclusions to their reasoning as well as the circumstances that resulted from such business decisions.

Who are the Rosenbergs?

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were American communists who were ultimately executed for committing espionage against the United States Government. The Rosenbergs passed highly classified information to the Soviet Union concerning the United States’ progress and efforts regarding the atomic bomb. The Rosenbergs, as a result of their conspiracy against the United States government, were the first civilians to be executed in the history of the United States.

The Early Years:

Both Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were born into Jewish families in the United States; the Rosenbergs joined the Communist party during their youths. When the Second World War commenced, Julius Rosenberg was working for the single corps; however, he was later dismissed when his role within the Communist party was revealed.

After being dismissed, Julius Rosenberg went to work for Ethel’s brother; the pair gathered information concerning the United States Government and the atomic bomb.

When the Soviet Union successfully produced a nuclear weapon (following the close of the Second World War) the United States grew deeply suspicious. Subsequent investigations revealed a complex network of espionage and spies who according to the United States Government, passed information to the Russians. The United States Government believed that this information was passed because the spies sympathized with the Russian Government or because they felt that the United States should not possess sole control of nuclear weapons. Ethel’s brother was ultimately pinned for his role in this network; however, he immediately passed on the name of the Rosenbergs to reduce his involvement.

FBI Investigation of the Rosenbergs:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested the Rosenbergs in hopes of forcing Julius to confess; the FBI assumed that Julius would be forced to confess to ultimately save his wife from prosecution. This strategy; however, proved unsuccessful for the Rosenbergs pled the Fifth Amendment during their trials.

During the Rosenbergs’ trials, the guilt of the couple was essentially assumed; it was not until after the trial ended that international outcry shed light on this assumed guilt. Despite two years of controversy and campaigning against the trial, the United States’ government convicted the Rosenbergs and sentenced them to death.

Later evidence involving the Rosenbergs revealed that Julius was most certainly involved in espionage against the United States Federal Government; the value in regards to the Rosenbergs punishment however, is widely disputed.

The Venona Project:

The majority of information and evidence surrounding the Rosenbergs and their role in espionage against the United States government came from the Venona Project—a cooperative effort between the United States and Great Britain to intercept and decode various Soviet communications. These efforts ultimately shed light on the Rosenbergs’ efforts in passing confidential information to Soviet Union concerning the atomic bomb. As a result of the controversy and public interest surrounding the Rosenbergs and their trial, numerous documents concerning the case have been made public through the Central intelligence Agency.

Who is Jeffrey Dahmer?

Jeffrey Dahmer was an infamous American serial killer and notorious sex offender. In total, Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men and young boys—the majority of Dahmer’s victims were of African or Asian descent—between the late 1970s and early 1990s. Jeffrey Dahmer is unfortunately known for the savageness and brutality for which he killed and subsequently disposed of his victims; Dahmer’s murders were particularly savage, for they commonly involved rape, dismemberment, torture, necrophilia and cannibalism.

The Early Years:

Jeffrey Dahmer was born in West Allis, Wisconsin on May 21, 1960. By all accounts, Jeffrey Dahmer’s childhood was defined and regarded as normal; however, when Dahmer reached the age of 15, he grew increasingly reserved and withdrawn from social interactions. As a youth, Dahmer would shy away from normal childhood activities, opting instead to bike around his neighborhood looking for dead animals, which he dissected at home. By the time Jeffrey Dahmer reached high school he was a raging alcohol and classified as extremely depressed.’

After immediately dropping out of Ohio State University, Jeffrey Dahmer was forced to enter the military by his father. Although Jeffrey Dahmer thrived at first in the organized and disciplined structure of the military, he was discharged after two years of service due to alcoholism.

In 1982, after being arrested for disorderly conduct and public intoxication, Jeffrey Dahmer moved in with his grandmother in West Allis. During this juncture, Dahmer’s behavior grew increasingly weird; his grandmother routinely found weapons in his room and Dahmer was arrested twice for indecent exposure in 1982 and 1986.

The Jeffrey Dahmer Murders:

After being arrested and due to his strange behavior, Dohmer’s grandparents kicked them out of their home in the summer of 1988. After finding an apartment on Milwaukee’s West side, Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested for drugging and fondling a 13-yeard old boy. For this obscene crime, Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced to five years probation and required to register as a sex offender. After receiving parole, Dahmer moved into a new apartment; shortly thereafter, Dahmer went on a vicious killing spree that ultimately ended with his arrest in 1991.

While still living with his father, Jeffrey Dahmer committed his first murder in the summer of 1978. With his family away, Dahmer picked up a hitchhiker, invited him back to his father’s house for drinks and ‘sexual activity.’ When the man tried to leave, Dahmer bludgeoned his victim with a barbell and buried his corpse in the backyard.

Nine years after his first murder, Dahmer claimed his next victim. Following this attack, Dahmer continued to kill sporadically: Dahmer committed two murders in 1988, one in the early part of 1989 etc. Dahmer commonly picked up his victims in gay bars, drugged them and then savagely murdered them. Dahmer, as a psychotic post-humorous ritual, would often keep his victim’s body parts or skulls in his apartment refrigerator. 

Jeffrey Dahmer picked up his murdering pace in the early 1990s. Using his own residence as the central hub for his devastation, Jeffrey Dahmer averaged one murder a week during the summer of 1991.

Jeffrey Dahmer’s Arrest:

On July 22, 1991 Jeffrey Dahmer lured another potential victim, Tracy Edwards, into his Milwaukee apartment. Based on the would-be victim’s testimony, Dahmer struggled in subduing Edwards. With a large butcher knife in hand, Dahmer forced Edwards into the bathroom, where the prospective victim saw pictures of mangled bodies and acknowledged terrible smells coming from barrels that were strewn throughout the room. Edwards, in a state of panic, kicked Jeffrey Dahmer in the stomach and sprinted out into the street where he eventually waved down a police car. Edwards brought the officer’s back to Dahmer’s apartment where a search revealed gruesome displays of murder and torture. Severed heads, photographs of murdered victims, and humane remains were in Dahmer’s refrigerator as well as throughout his entire apartment. 

Jeffrey Dahmer’s Trial and Death:

Jeffrey Dahmer was indicted on 17 murder charges (later reduced to 15) and after two weeks of trial, the court found Dahmer sane and guilty on all 15 counts. As a result of the viciousness and serial-nature of his crimes, Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced to 15 life terms or 957 years in prison.

Dahmer was extradited to Ohio where he ultimately declared himself a born-again Christian. Dahmer was attacked by fellow inmates for the nature of his savage crimes. On November 28, 1994, while partaking in janitorial work, Dahmer and another inmate were severely beaten with a broom handle by fellow inmate Christoper Scarver. Dahmer dies of severe head trauma while on his way to the emergency room; his brain was taken for study.

The Background of Roth v. United States

Roth v. United States was a landmark case heard before the United States Supreme Court. In Roth v. United States, the United States Supreme Court redefined the United States Constitutional test that was used to determine what constitutes obscene material that was left unprotected by the First Amendment.

Samuel Roth ran a literary business in New York City and was convicted under a federal statute for sending obscene, lewd, or filthy materials through the mail for advertising a publication titled American Aphrodite.

Roth v. United States Trial:

Roth v. United States was decided as a 6-3 decision; the Court defined obscenity as material whose “dominant theme taken as a whole appeals to the prurient interest” to the “average person, applying contemporary community standards.” Only material that meets this test could be labeled and subsequently banned as being “obscene.”

In 1973, in the Supreme Court Case Miller v. California, a five-person majority agreed on the creation of a test for determining constitutionally unprotected obscenity—this test effectively superseded the Roth test.

The Case Profile of Roth v. United States

The following is a case profile of the legal trial eponymously titled ‘Roth v. United States’:

Date of the Trial: Roth v. United States was argued on April 22 1957.

Legal Classification: Administrative Law; this legal field associated with events and circumstances in which the Federal Government of the United States engages its citizens, including the administration of government programs, the creation of agencies, and the establishment of a legal, regulatory federal standard

United States Reports Case Number: 354 U.S. 476

Date of the Delivery of the Verdict: Roth v. United States was decided on June 24, 1957

Legal Venue of Roth v. United States: The United States Supreme Court

Judicial Officer Responsible for Ruling: Chief Justice Earl Warren

Verdict Delivered: In Roth v. United States the courts stated that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment. In addition to this ruling, the United States Supreme Court created a test that would more accurately and strictly define “obscene materials.”

What are Case Studies?

Case studies are common research methods incorporated within the field of social science.  Case studies therefore require the exhaustive evaluation and studying of a person, a small group of individuals, a single situation, or a specific case. Case studies are developed to reveal a correlation between two factors; case studies are incorporated into a social phenomenon or a legal matter to reveal whether or not a causal relationship can be proven. For example, a common social case study may reveal that obese people tend to drink a lot of skim milk. This information and subsequent conclusion would reveal that there is a direct correlation or at least an association between being obese and drinking skim milk. Although there is no scientific evidence that links drinking skim milk to obesity, case studies in this example, simply reveal a correlation between the two.

The evaluation of case studies is based on the in-depth investigation of a single individual, a group, or a specific event. As a result of this somewhat broad definition, case studies may be descriptive or explanatory in nature. The latter form is typically used to explore causation in order to find the underlying principles of a particular legal matter or social phenomenon.

As oppose to using samples and following a strict set of rules or a protocol to examine a limited number of variables, case studies will incorporate various methods that involve an in-depth examination of a single incident or a particular case. Case studies provide a systematic method to accurately investigate information, collect data, analyze information and report the results of a particular legal matter. As a result of these characteristics and general benefits, a researcher participating in case studies may gain a sharpened understanding of why the particular instance occurred as it did and what may become critical to further research and review. Case studies, through these benefits, lend themselves to both testing and generating hypotheses.

Case Studies as Research Strategy:

Another common suggestion aligned with case studies is that the method can be regarded as a researched strategy or as an empirical inquiry that investigates an odd occurrence within a real-life context. Case studies, as a research tool, means single and multiple case studies will include quantitative evidence, will rely on multiple sources of evidence and will benefit from any prior research or development of the underlying theoretical propositions.

Case studies are held separate from quantitative research; additionally, case studies can be founded and based on any combination of quantitative or qualitative evidence.

Structure of Case Studies:

A typical case is often not attached to a plethora of information; to clarify lines of causation it is typically more useful to evaluate subjects that offer a revealing set of information aligned with the particular case. As a result, a case selection that is primarily based on representatives or individual subjects will rarely be able to produce particular and exacting bits of insights. When selecting a subject for case studies, a researcher will use information-oriented sampling as oppose to random sampling.

What is a Case Study?

Case studies are distinct research methods incorporated within the field of social science.  Case studies require the exhaustive evaluation in alignment with the studying of a person, a small group of individuals, a single situation, or a specific case. Case studies are developed to reveal a correlation between two factors; case studies are incorporated into a social phenomenon or a legal matter to reveal whether or not a causal relationship can be proven.

For example, a common social case study may reveal that a lot of criminals tend to look at or purchase pornographic material. This information and subsequent conclusion would reveal that there is a direct correlation or at least an association between committing crimes and purchasing pornography.  Although there is no scientific evidence that links observing pornography to committing crimes, case studies in this example, simply reveal a correlation between the two.

The evaluation of case studies is based on the in-depth investigation of a single individual, a group, or a specific event. As a result of this somewhat broad definition, case studies may be descriptive or explanatory in nature. The latter form is typically used to explore causation in order to find the underlying principles of a particular legal matter or social phenomenon.

How do Case Studies Work?

As oppose to using samples and following a strict set of rules or a protocol to examine a limited number of variables, case studies will incorporate various methods that involve an in-depth examination of a relationship, a single incident or particular legal matter. Case studies provide a systematic method to accurately investigate information, collect data, analyze information and report the results of a particular legal matter. As a result of these characteristics and general benefits, a researcher participating in case studies may gain a sharpened understanding of why the particular instance occurred as it did and what may become critical to further research and review. Case studies, through these benefits, lend themselves to both testing and generating hypotheses.

Case Study Examples:

Common case study examples, in the modern era, will evaluate consumer behavior. These forms of case study examples, for instance, will evaluate why today’s consumers are cutting out needless purchases and getting rid of gadgets or gizmos that don’t add value to their lives. These case study examples will elucidate on why consumers will migrate to brands that express these particular values.

Other forms of case study examples will evaluate human behavior and the direct effects that lifestyle choices or consumer choices pose on the environment. Environmental case study examples, during the modern era, are extremely common to help quell some critical environmental problems. Directly linked into this category are case study examples that evaluate the benefits of various alternative energy sources. These forms of case study examples are distributed and evaluated to help reduce our reliance on foreign oil.

The Background of Powell v. Alabama:

Powell v. Alabama was a United Supreme Court case that ultimately determined that in a capital trial, the defending party must be given access to legal counsel upon his or her request. The defendant, in all capital cases, as stated in this decision, labels the obtainment of a counsel as a direct part of due process, which is inherently awarded to a defending party in the United States Constitution.

Powell v. Alabama stems from events that occurred in March of 1931. During this time, Nine African Americans (Ozie Powell, Charlie Weems, Clarence Norris, Willie Roberson, Haywood Patterson, Andy Wright, Olen Montgomery, Eugene Williams, Leroy Wright), known as the Scottsboro Boys, were accused of raping two young Caucasian women, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates.

The Scottsboro Boys were travelling on a train with seven white males and two white males. A fight eventually broke out and all of the Caucasian males were thrown from the train, save for one individual. The women ultimately accused the African American men of rape; however, one woman later retracted this claim. Each of the defendants, with the exception of Roy Wright, was sentenced to death in a series of one-day trials.

The Trial:

The defendants (the Scottsboro Boys) in Powell v. Alabama were only given access to their lawyers right before the trial commenced; the lack of time impeded the defendants from developing a defense strategy. Although the sentence was handed down, the ruling was ultimately appealed on the grounds that the defendants in Powell v. Alabama were not provided with adequate legal counsel.

This ruling was an appeal; the original case was heard in the Alabama State Supreme Court. The Alabama Supreme Court, in Powell v. Alabama, ruled 6-1 that the trial was fair—this ruling was ultimately appealed to the United States Supreme Court.

The United States Supreme Court, in Powell v. Alabama, reversed and remanded the decisions of the Alabama Supreme Court, stating that due process had been violated. The ruling offered by the United States Supreme Court in Powell v. Alabama, offered three main arguments to appeal the previous decision: “The defendants in Powell v. Alabama were not given a fair, impartial and deliberate trial. They were denied the right of counsel, with the accustomed incidents of consultation and the opportunity for trial and they were tried before juries which qualified members of their own race were systematically excluded.”

The Background of United States v. Lopez:

United States v. Lopez was the first United States Supreme Court case since the creation of the New Deal, which specifically created regulations or limits in regards to Congress’s power under the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution.

Alfonso Lopez was a High School Senior at Edison High School in San Antonio, Texas. On March 10, 1992, Alfonso Lopez carried a concealed pistol, along with five cartridges, into the school. When confronted by authorities at the school, Lopez admitted to carrying the pistol; the next day, he was charged with violating the federal law which restricted firearms on all school properties. The specific law which Lopez was accused of violating is found in the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990.

Alfonzo Lopez dismissed the indictment by stating that the creation of the Act was unconstitutional for the restrictions latent in the act went beyond the power of Congress; Lopez claimed that Congress was not allowed to legislate control over the public school district. The initial trial court denied this motion, ruling that Congress possessed the power to regulate activities that affected commerce and the safety of elementary, middle and high schools throughout the United States.

Alfonso Lopez was tried and subsequently convicted; he later appealed the decision to the Fifth Circuit of Appeals, claiming that the Act exceeded Congress’ ability to legislate under the Commerce Clause. The Fifth Circuit, after review, overturned the conviction, stating that the indictment was beyond the power of Congress under the Commerce Clause. The government then petitioned to the Supreme Court for the case to be reviewed.

Trial:

In United States v. Lopez, the United States Federal Government’s principal argument was that possession of a weapon in an education facility would likely lead to a violent crime, which would ultimately affect the general economic condition of the school and the community at large.

IN United States v. Lopez, the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Court Appeals. The Supreme Court, in United States v. Lopez, stated that while Congress had broad authority in regards to lawmaking under the Commerce Clause, the exact powers were limited, and did not extend so far from the clause as to authorize the regulation of the carrying of firearms.

The Case Profile of United States v. Lopez:

The following is a case profile of the legal trial eponymously titled United States v. Lopez:

Date of the Trial: November 8, 1994

Date of the Delivery of the Verdict: April 26, 1995

Legal Venue of United States v. Lopez: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court

Judicial Officer Responsible for Ruling: Chief Justice William Rehnquist