# Supreme Court Decisions - your knowledge



## applecruncher (Sep 18, 2015)

I was surprised to find how few US Supreme Court decisions most people can name. Not necessarily by their exact formal name and not the date, just the subject would be fine.

Friends and I were talking about a year ago. Someone told me I tend to overestimate what people (in general) know. He challenged me to ask 10 adults on any given day to name at least two Supreme Court decisions. He knew I would name several off the top of my head (I’m kind of a history buff, and good at trivia).

1) *Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka *1954 (school desegregation)
2) *Miranda vs State of Arizona *1966 (you have the right to remain silent, you have the right to an attorney)
3) *Roe vs Wade *1973 (abortion)
4) *Regents of the University of Californa vs Bakke *1978 (college admission reverse discrimination)
5) *Roper vs Simmons *2005 *- *no death penalty for crimes committed by person under 18 yrs of age
6) *Obergefell vs Hodges *2015 - legalized same sex marriage

So, over several days I asked about 10 people (adults, some highly educated). Most could only name 1 or 2, some couldn’t name any. But (for me) the BIG shocker was that none of them mentioned Roe vs Wade, which was/is huge, and the most controversial – by far (imo). I've seen people become angry and really emotional when talking about Roe v Wade....some will just put up their hands and walk away.

So, would you have been able to name any of the above before I listed them?


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## Butterfly (Sep 18, 2015)

Of course, because I worked so long for lawyers, I could name lots of them, but it doesn't surprise me that most people can't.  You'd think most would have heard about _Miranda, _though, from TV at least, but I guess a lot of folks don't recognize it as  a Supreme Court case.  And I guess I thought everyone knew about _Roe v Wade_.


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## applecruncher (Sep 18, 2015)

Yes, Butterfly the Miranda thing surprises me because of TV/movies and also "I plead the fifth" is a relatively common phrase in conversation.  Maybe they just don't associate it with the Supreme Court.  But most of all the failure to know what Roe vs Wade is SHOCKS me.  And I'm not referring to kids.......every person I asked was over 40 yrs old.


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## NancyNGA (Sep 18, 2015)

If you are asking whether I am aware of all 6 rulings, then yes. 

 But if you are asking if I could associate the names of both parties involved, then only 1 & 3.  If you had said the words "Miranda" or "Regents" I'd have known what those were about, but not the other names.  I wouldn't have known the names associated with the last two at all.


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## applecruncher (Sep 18, 2015)

I think most people refer to the Regents of UCLA as the Alan Bakke case.


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## Shirley (Sep 18, 2015)

I have heard of all of them. If you asked me to name them right off the top of my head,  I couldn't do it. Can you make this a multiple  choice test?


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## applecruncher (Sep 18, 2015)

HA! Don't sweat it, Shirley.  I know you're one of (X) smart people on this forum.


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## Shirley (Sep 18, 2015)

Can I get a Supreme Court ruling on that?


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## applecruncher (Sep 18, 2015)

I think they're out until the first Monday in October (couple more weeks)!

Actually though, I'm better at the dates than I am the name of the decision (except for Roe vs Wade).


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## QuickSilver (Sep 18, 2015)

Personally I thing that the Citizens United V. FEC  2009 should have been included..   In my opinion, this ruling has had an incomparable effect on our democracy and the outcome of elections unless it can be overturned.


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## applecruncher (Sep 18, 2015)

That list above is only my own list of the ones I think are most well-known - in my opinion and may not mean anything to others. Also, I didn't name any prior to 1954, although there were many.  But I'm still surprised that the average "person in the street" (adult) doesn't know what Roe vs Wade is.


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## QuickSilver (Sep 18, 2015)

There is a whole bunch the average person on the street doesn't know..


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## applecruncher (Sep 18, 2015)

Well, that's exactly what my friend (referred to on initial post) meant....he (and a few others IRL) said that I tend to overestimate what people know. His exact words were "the average person in the street - ANY street - doesn't know sxxx and doesn't care. Supreme Court decisions, (AC)? :laugh: You have _got _to be kidding." Then he challenged me to perform a test, which I did over the course of several days, and he was right.


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## QuickSilver (Sep 18, 2015)

Jimmy Kimmel has a segment where he goes out and asks random people political questions.  Some people had no clue who Joe Biden was.  The average American pays little attention to politics.


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## applecruncher (Sep 18, 2015)

Lie Witness News - I watch it all the time.  I love Jimmy.


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## Shirley (Sep 18, 2015)

Well, personally, I don't think President and Mrs. Obama should be pressured  into having Marcus circumcised. It's none of the Republican's business!  :lofl:


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## applecruncher (Sep 18, 2015)

Yeah, and I'm glad we have excellent relations with North Korea.  :laugh:  Maybe that sleepover with Kim Jong-Un helped.


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## applecruncher (Jan 26, 2019)

:bump:


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