how their rulings helped expand rights for all.
JUDICIAL ACTIVISM
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
In 1951, Oliver Brown tried to enroll his daughter in their neighborhood school in Topeka, Kansas. But because his school district was segregated, and his daughter was Black, the school turned him away. The Brown family, along with 12 other families, felt this was unfair. They filed a lawsuit against the Topeka Board of Education. The case made it all the way to the Supreme Court. The Court overturned their previous judgment in Plessy v. Ferguson by ruling that racially segregated schools were unequal and violated the Constitution's promise of equal protection.
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
In Florida, Clarence Earl Gideon was charged with breaking and entering. In court, he asked the judge to assign him a lawyer since he couldn't afford to pay for one. The court denied his request, and Gideon was sentenced to prison. Florida law said that only a person facing the death penalty could have a free, court-appointed lawyer. Gideon wrote a letter to the Supreme Court claiming that his right to equal protection and legal representation was violated. The Court agreed. They ruled that courts must provide lawyers for criminal defendants who cannot afford their own.
What if...
What if the Court had stuck to its precedent?
What if the Court had upheld Florida's law?
