What SCOTUS Wrote Us

Engel v. Vitale (1962) Public School Prayer, Establishment Clause

Audio of the 1962 opinion of the Court in Engel v. Vitale.

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Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, Dissent, Part I, Sections A and B (2022)

Audio of Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022) Dissenting Opinion, Part I, Sections A and B.

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Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022) Public School Prayer, Establishment Clause, Lemon Test

Audio of the opinion of the Court in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022).

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Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) Lemon Test, Establishment Clause, State Funding for Religious Schools

Audio of the 1971 Opinion of the Court in Lemon v. Kurtzman.

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Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969) Freedom of Speech & Expression; Symbolic Speech

Audio of the 1969 opinion of the Court in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District.

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Introducing: What SCOTUS Wrote Us

Learn a little about Pippah and the podcast that is entirely dedicated to reading you the opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States.

 

Listen to What SCOTUS Wrote Us anywhere you get podcasts or visit whatscotuswroteus.com.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) Commerce Clause, Interstate Commerce

Audio of the 1824 opinion of the Court in Gibbons v. Ogden

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Katz v. United States (1967) Search and Seizure; Government Surveillance; Wiretapping

Audio of the 1967 opinion of the Court in Katz v. United States

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Buck v. Bell (1927) Nonconsensual Reproductive Sterilization

Audio of the 1927 opinion of the Court in Buck v. Bell.

The question before the Court in this case was whether a 1924 Virginia sterilization law denied Carrie Buck the right to due process of the law and the equal protection of the law provided by the Fourteenth Amendment.

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Cantwell v. Connecticut (1940) Freedom of Religion

Audio of the opinion of the Court in Cantwell v. Connecticut (1940).

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New York Times Company v. Sullivan (1964) Libel; Public Figures; Freedoms of Speech & Press

Audio of the 1964 opinion of the Court in New York Times Company v. Sullivan.

 

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Lochner v. New York (1905) Right to Contract, Contract Clause

Audio of the 1905 opinion of the Court in Lochner v. New York.

*The decision in Lochner v. New York was overturned in 1937 in West Coast Hotel Company v. Parrish.

 

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Bowers v. Hardwick (1986) Consensual Sodomy

Audio of the 1986 opinion of the Court in Bowers v. Hardwick.

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Frontiero v. Richardson (1973) Sex-based Discrimination, Levels of Scrutiny

Audio of the 1973 opinion of the Court in Frontiero v. Richardson.

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) Implied Powers

Audio of the SCOTUS opinion in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819).

 

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Gitlow v. New York (1925) Free Speech, Selective Incorporation

Audio of the opinion of the Supreme Court in Gitlow v. New York (1925).

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Barron v. Baltimore (1833) Fifth Amendment Taking Clause

Audio of the unanimous opinion of the Supreme Court in Barron v. Baltimore (1833).

The question before the Court in this case was whether the Fifth Amendment denies the states as well as the national government the right to take private property for public use without justly compensating the property owner (a.k.a. the taking clause).

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NAACP v. Alabama (1958) Subpoenaed Membership Lists

Audio of the 1958 unanimous opinion of the Supreme Court in NAACP v. Alabama.

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Cooper v. Aaron (1958) Arkansas Resistance to School Desegregation and Federal Law

Audio of the 1958 unanimous opinion of the Supreme Court in Cooper v. Aaron.

 

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Parker v. Gladden (1966) Right to Impartial Jury

Audio of the 1966 per curiam opinion of the Supreme Court in Parker v. Gladden

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Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) Appointed Attorney in Felony Cases

Audio of the 1963 opinion of the Court in Gideon v. Wainwright.

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 Music by Epidemic Sound

 

Powell v. Alabama (1932) Appointed Attorney in Capital Cases

Audio of the 1932 opinion of the court in Powell v. Alabama 

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Part 3: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) Majority Opinion (African American Citizenship)

We continue reading the third and final segment of the 1857 opinion of the Court in Dred Scott v. Sandford. 

I omit citations to provide a better listening experience. Find the full opinion here:

https://www.oyez.org/cases/1850-1900/60us393

Part 2: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) Majority Opinion (African American Citizenship)

We continue reading the 1857 opinion of the Court in Dred Scott v. Sandford where we left off in Part 1 . 

I omit citations to provide a better listening experience. Find the full opinion here:

https://www.oyez.org/cases/1850-1900/60us393

 

 

Part 1: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) Majority Opinion (African American Citizenship)

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

Audio of the 1857 opinion of the Court in Dred Scott v. Sandford. For the next several episodes, I'll be reading an opinion from 1857 that has long since been overturned and relegated to the trash heap of bad Supreme Court decisions - Dred Scott v. Sandford. In the Dred Scott decision, the Taney Court held that African Americans, slave or free, were not citizens of the United States. I've decided to read this opinion over several episodes for two reasons: one is that it is incredibly lengthy and the other is that its contents shock the conscience. By this, I mean that its contents are so racist and offensive that both the listener and the reader are likely to need a little time to recover in-between each segment. I do want to warn those listening, especially those listening with African ancestry, that this opinion is incredibly insulting and no longer has any place in United States constitutional law save for its historical evidence of the stain of slavery.

I omit citations to provide a better listening experience. Find the full opinion here:

https://www.oyez.org/cases/1850-1900/60us393

 

Music by Epidemic Sound

Marbury v. Madison (1803) Judicial Review, Constitutional Interpretation

Audio of the 1803 opinion of the Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madision.

 

Music by Epidemic Sound

 

Adamson v. California, Dissenting (1947) Self-Incrimination, Selective Incorporation

Audio of Justice Hugo Black's famous dissenting opinion in Adamson V. California (1947).

This audio includes the primary text of Justice Hugo Black's dissenting opinion

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Adamson v. California (1947) Self-incrimination, Selective Incorporation

Audio of the 1947 opinion of the Court in Adamson v California. 

The question before the Supreme Court of the United States was whether a defendant's Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination applied to state courts through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The Court found that it did not - and it would not apply to the states until 1964 in Malloy v. Hogan.

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Palko v. Connecticut (1937) Double Jeopardy, Selective Incorporation

Audio of the 1937 opinion of the Court in Palko v. Connecticut.

 

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Miranda v. Arizona (1966) Interrogation Rights, Exclusionary Rule

Audio of the 1966 opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court in Miranda v. Arizona.

 

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Music by Epidemic Sound

Mapp v. Ohio (1961) Illegally-Obtained Evidence, Exclusionary Rule

Audio of the 1961 U.S. Supreme Court opinion Mapp v. Ohio.

 

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Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Public School Desegregation

Audio of the unanimous decision of the Court in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)

 

 

 

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) Racial Segregation

Audio of the 1896 opinion of the Supreme Court s in Plessy v. Ferguson.

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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United States v. O’Brien (1968) Symbolic Speech

Audio of the opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. O'Brien (1968).

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Music by Epidemic Sound

 

 

New York Times Company v. United States (1971) Free Press; Prior Restraint

Audio of the 1971 per curiam opinion of the Court in New York Times Company v. United States 

 

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Schenck v. United States (1919) Free Speech; Clear & Present Danger Test

Audio of the opinion of the Court in Schenck v. United States (1919). 

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Reed v. Reed (1971) Sex-based Discrimination

Audio of the opinion of the Court in Reed v. Reed (1971).

The question in this case was whether an Idaho Probate Code stating that "males must be preferred to females" in appointing administrators of estates violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. In a unanimous decision, the Court said it did.

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Carson v. Makin (2022) Using State Tuition Aid at Religious Private Schools

Audio of the opinion of the Supreme Court in Carson v. Makin (2022).

The constitutional question before the Court was: does a Maine state law prohibiting students from choosing to use otherwise generally available student-aid to attend schools that provide religious instruction violate the Religion Clauses or Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution?

 

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Loving v. Virginia (1967) Interracial Marriage

Audio of the Opinion of the Court in Loving v. Virginia (1967). The question before the Court was whether a Virginia law prohibiting interracial marriage violated the fourteenth amendment's equal protection and due process clauses; the Court said it did.

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Shelby County v. Holder, Dissenting Opinion (2013) Voting Rights Act

Audio of the majority opinion in Shelby County v. Holder (2013) which struck down the oversight provisions of the Voting Rights Act.

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Shelby County v. Holder (2013) Voting Rights Act

Audio of the majority opinion in Shelby County v. Holder (2013) which struck down the oversight provisions of the Voting Rights Act.

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) Contraceptives

Audio of the majority opinion in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965). The question before the Court was whether the Constitution protects the right of married couples to be counseled on the use of contraceptives.

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) Thomas, Concurring (Abortion, Substantive Due Process)

A reading of Justice Thomas' concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health (2022)

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Lawrence v. Texas (2003) Consensual Sodomy, Same-sex Intimacy

Audio of Lawrence v. Texas (2003) Majority Opinion 

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Part 2: Roe v. Wade (1973) Abortion

Audio of the U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion in Roe v. Wade (1973). 

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Part 1: Roe v. Wade (1973) Abortion

Audio of the U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion in Roe v. Wade (1973). Does the Constitution recognize a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy by abortion? The Supreme Court of the United States said, "yes" in its 7 - 2 decision in Roe v. Wade. Nearly 50 years later, the Court overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health (2022). In this special listener's library two-episode series, I read the original case: Roe v. Wade (1973).

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Part 2: Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) Same-Sex Marriage

Audio of the U.S. Supreme Court's majority opinion in the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). This decision established that the U.S. Constitution grants same-sex couples the right to marry one another.

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Part 1: Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) Same-Sex Marriage

Audio of the U.S. Supreme Court's majority opinion in the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). This decision established that the U.S. Constitution grants same-sex couples the right to marry one another.

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) Dissenting Opinion (Abortion, Roe v. Wade)

Audio of the historic June 24, 2022 dissenting opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (June 24, 2022) - the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade (1973) and gave states the right to prohibit abortions regardless of the stage or circumstances of the pregnancy.

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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West Virginia v. EPA (2022)

A reading of U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency (2022).

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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NY State Rifle and Pistol Assn. v. Bruen (2022) Firearms, Second Amendment

Audio of the Supreme Court's majority opinion in New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn., Inc. v. Bruen (June 23, 2022). The constitutional question addressed in this case is whether New York's law requiring that applicants for unrestricted concealed-carry licenses demonstrates a special need for self-defense violate the Second Amendment.

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) Abortion, Overturned Roe v. Wade

Audio of the opinon of the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (June 24, 2022). This decision overturned Roe v. Wade (1973) and gave states the right to prohibit abortions regardless of the stage or circumstances of the pregnancy.

*Note: The audio quality of the earliest episodes (like this one) is not the best. Sorry. Don't worry, the quality gets better in the episodes ahead as I learn the new skillset required.

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