Directions: Read the three Supreme Court case scenarios below in the left hand column. In the right hand column, jot down which constitutional amendment you think this case was about, and explain your reasoning.
SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the US) Case
Constitutional Amendment
Mapp v. Ohio (1957): In May 1957, three police officers arrived at Dollree Mapp’s home after having received a tip that a fugitive had hidden there. Mapp, who had phoned her attorney, refused to admit the police officers. Three hours later, they knocked on the door, and when Mapp did not immediately answer, they forced the door open and entered. Mapp demanded to see a search warrant. One of the officers held up a piece of paper, claiming it was the warrant. After a scuffle, the officers handcuffed Mapp. The police then began to search the house. They did not find a fugitive in the house; however, in the course of their search they turned up some material they deemed obscene. Mapp was charged and eventually convicted of having offensive books and pictures in her possession.
Engel v. Vitale (1962): In 1951 the New York State Board of Regents, which supervises the state’s public school system, approved a brief prayer at the start of each day. The prayer read: “Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our Country.” School districts were not required to use the prayer, and students were not required to recite it. In 1958, the New Hyde Park school board adopted the prayer and directed that it be recited each day in every class, although students could be excused from reciting it. Steven Engel, the parent of two children in the New Hyde Park schools, objected to this practice and asked a state court to order the prayer dropped.
Tinker v. Des Moines (1969): Throughout the 1960s, television broadcasts carried graphic images of the Vietnam War. In December of 1965, John Tinker, his sister Mary Beth, and their friend Christopher Eckhardt decided to protest the war. They planned to wear black armbands to their schools in Des Moines, Iowa. When the school board learned of their plans, it adopted a policy that banned the wearing of armbands. Any students who violated this policy would be suspended. Several students, including the Tinkers, went ahead with their protest. The students were suspended when they refused to remove their armbands.
