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
Bong Hits 4 Jesus? | Morse v. Frederick
In the fourth episode of Supreme Court Briefs, Mr. Beat goes back to 2002 to look at darn high schoolers causing mischief with a banner about marijuana. Is it their First Amendment right or are they disrupting school? Joseph Frederick, a...
Mr. Beat
Did His Travel Ban Target Muslims? | Trump v. Hawaii
In episode 65 of Supreme Court Briefs, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, tries to ban immigrants from certain countries, and it doesn't go so well.
Mr. Beat
When Can Speech Be Banned? | Schenck v. United States
In episode 68 of Supreme Court Briefs, a Socialist Party leader distributes thousands of pamphlets encouraging young men to resist getting drafted to fight in World War One, but apparently that's illegal for real.
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
Can Your Religion Get You Out of School? | Wisconsin v. Yoder
In episode 44 of Supreme Court Briefs, Amish parents let their kids drop out of school after eighth grade. Wisconsin says they can't do that. The Amish fight back.
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
The Federal Government Gets More Power | Gibbons v. Ogden
In episode 16 of Supreme Court Briefs, two dudes fight over whether or not one can operate his steamboat in New York. In the end, the federal government just gets more power.
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
Where Do Your Miranda Rights Come From? | Miranda v. Arizona
In episode 6 of Supreme Court Briefs, you have the right to remain silent. Mr. Beat looks at the origins of the Miranda rights. I'll give you a hint- they are named after a guy named Miranda.
Mr. Beat
Why the Principal Can Search Your Purse | New Jersey v. T. L. O.
In episode 52 of Supreme Court Briefs, two students get caught smoking in the high school restroom, and one denies it, so the principal searches her purse.
Mr. Beat
Guilty Until Proven Innocent | The Scottsboro Boys Cases
In episode 47 of Supreme Court Briefs, it's the story of the Scottsboro Boys, the nine African American teenage boys who were falsely accused of raping two white women.
Mr. Beat
Why the Supreme Court Is Relevant | Marbury v. Madison
In episode 42 of Supreme Court Briefs, the Supreme Court becomes kind of a big deal by getting judicial review.
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
Can the Police Use Evidence They Got Illegally? | Mapp v. Ohio
In episode 32 of Supreme Court Briefs, police break into a home of a citizen and later charge her with having sexually explicit material.
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
Why YouTube Can Exist | Sony v. Universal
In episode 28 of Supreme Court Briefs, Universal Studios, Disney, and other media corporations sue Sony for copyright infringement after Sony creates this device that can record stuff so that viewers can watch it later.
Mr. Beat
Can Recorded Testimony Be Used in Court? | Crawford v. Washington
In episode 25 of Supreme Court Briefs, a man stabs another man, but calls it self-defense. However, the only witness can't testify in court, so they use her recorded police interrogation instead. Wait a second, CAN THEY DO THAT?!?
Mr. Beat
How Interracial Marriage Bans Ended | Loving v. Virginia
In episode 23 of Supreme Court Briefs, a woman with darker skin and a man with lighter skin get married and get arrested and kicked out of the state of Virginia. For several years, they fight for their marriage all the way to the Supreme...
Mr. Beat
Why You Don't Hear Dirty Words on Radio or TV | FCC v. Pacifica Foundation
In episode 18 of Supreme Court Briefs, a son doesn't like his teenage son hearing bad words on the radio, so takes action. George Carlin, meanwhile, remains perplexed.
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
"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.