Supreme Court Decisions - your knowledge

applecruncher

applecruncher

SF VIP
Location
Ohio USA
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?
 

Last edited:
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.
 
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.
 

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.
 
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? :D
 
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).
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top