Court : US Supreme Court
Decided on : May-03-1971
Blonder Tongue v. University of Illinois Found. - 402 U.S. 313 (1971) U.S. Supreme Court Blonder Tongue v. University of Illinois Found., 402 U.S. 313 (1971) Blonder Tongue Laboratories, Inc. v. University of Illinois Foundation No. 338 Argued January 14, 1971 Decided May 3, 1971 402 U.S. 313 CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATE COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SEVENTH CIRCUIT Syllabus This Court's holding in Triplett v. Lowell, 297 U. S. 638 , that a determination of patent invalidity is not res judicata against the patentee in subsequent litigation against a different defendant overruled to the extent that it forecloses an estoppel plea by one facing a charge of infringement of a patent that has once been declared invalid, and in this infringement suit, where, because of Triplett, petitioner did not plead estoppel and the patentee had no opportunity to challenge the appropriateness of such a plea, the parties should be allowed to amend their pleadings and introduce evidence on ...
Tag this Judgment!Court : US Supreme Court
Decided on : Apr-21-1971
United States v. Vuitch - 402 U.S. 62 (1971) U.S. Supreme Court United States v. Vuitch, 402 U.S. 62 (1971) United States v. Vuitch No. 84 Argued January 12, 1971 Decided April 21, 1971 402 U.S. 62 APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Appellee physician's indictments for producing and attempting to produce abortions in violation of D.C.Code 22-201 was dismissed by the District Court on the ground of unconstitutional vagueness. That court held that the word "health" was overly vague, and, relying on Williams v. United States, 78 U.S.App.D.C. 147, 138 F.2d 81, held that, once an abortion is proved, the burden is on the doctor to persuade the jury that it was necessary to preserve the mother's life or health. The Government appealed to this Court under the Criminal Appeals Act, 18 U.S.C. 3731. Held: 1. Although the abortion statute applies only to the District of Columbia, this Court has jurisdiction of the appeal under 3731, which pr...
Tag this Judgment!Court : US Supreme Court
Decided on : Jun-07-1971
Rosenbloom v. Metromedia - 403 U.S. 29 (1971) U.S. Supreme Court Rosenbloom v. Metromedia, 403 U.S. 29 (1971) Rosenbloom v. Metromedia No. 66 Argued December 7, 1970 Decided June 7, 1971 403 U.S. 29 CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT Syllabus Respondent's radio station, which broadcast news reports every half hour, broadcast news stories of petitioner's arrest for possession of obscene literature and the police seizure of "obscene books," and stories concerning petitioner's lawsuit against certain officials alleging that the magazines he distributed were not obscene and seeking injunctive relief from police interference with his business. These latter stories did not mention petitioner's name, but used the terms "smut literature racket" and "girlie-book peddlers." Following petitioner's acquittal of criminal obscenity charges, he filed this diversity action in District Court seeking damages under Pennsylvania's libel law. The jury found f...
Tag this Judgment!Court : US Supreme Court
Decided on : Feb-23-1971
Perez v. Ledesma - 401 U.S. 82 (1971) U.S. Supreme Court Perez v. Ledesma, 401 U.S. 82 (1971) Perez v. Ledesma No. 60 Argued November 17, 1970 Decided February 23, 1971 401 U.S. 82 APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA Syllabus Appellees, who had been arrested and charged with violating a Louisiana statute and a parish ordinance by displaying for sale allegedly obscene material (which was seized by the arresting officers), brought this suit in the Federal District Court for a declaration that the statute and ordinance were unconstitutional, and for an injunction against their enforcement. A three-judge court which was convened upheld the statute and declined to issue an injunction, but, finding that the arrests and seizure were invalid, entered a suppression order prohibiting the use in state criminal proceedings of the illegally seized material and requiring its return to appellees. The three-judge court recognized that it had n...
Tag this Judgment!Court : US Supreme Court
Decided on : Feb-23-1971
Law Students Research Council v. Wadmond - 401 U.S. 154 (1971) U.S. Supreme Court Law Students Research Council v. Wadmond, 401 U.S. 154 (1971) Law Students Civil Rights Research Council v. Wadmond No. 49 Argued October 15, 1970 Decided February 23, 1971 401 U.S. 154 APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK Syllabus Appellants challenge, primarily on First Amendment vagueness and overbreadth grounds, the system for screening applicants for admission to the New York Bar. To carry out the statutory requirement that the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court "be satisfied that such person possesses the character and general fitness requisite for an attorney and counselor at law," Committees on Character and Fitness receive affidavits from two persons (one of whom must be a practicing attorney) acquainted with the applicant, and a questionnaire completed by the applicant. The Committees also conduct personal interviews with each ...
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Decided on : Feb-23-1971
Dyson v. Stein - 401 U.S. 200 (1971) U.S. Supreme Court Dyson v. Stein, 401 U.S. 200 (1971) Dyson v. Stein No. 41 Argued April 30, 1970 Reargued November 16, 1970 Decided February 23, 1971 401 U.S. 200 APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS Syllabus Appellee newspaper publisher, who had been charged with violating a Texas law prohibiting the possession of obscene materials, brought this action in a federal district court for an injunction to prevent the Dallas police from arresting him and seizing his property on obscenity grounds without a prior judicial determination of obscenity and for a declaration of the rights of the parties with respect to the statute. A three-judge court was convened and issued declaratory and injunctive relief, holding two parts of the statute unconstitutional and ruling that another part would be constitutional only if the obscenity definition was changed. Held: There was no finding of irreparable injur...
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Decided on : Dec-20-1971
United States v. Marion - 404 U.S. 307 (1971) U.S. Supreme Court United States v. Marion, 404 U.S. 307 (1971) United States v. Marion No. 70-19 Argued November 8, 1971 Decided December 20, 1971 404 U.S. 307 APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Syllabus Appellees, claiming that the Government had known of the crimes with which they were charged, the circumstances of the crimes, and appellees' identities for over three years before they were indicted, moved to dismiss on the ground that the indictment was returned "an unreasonably oppressive and unjustifiable time after the alleged offenses," and that the delay deprived them of rights to due process of law and a speedy trial as secured by the Fifth and Sixth Amendments. While asserting no specific prejudice, appellees contended that the indictment required memory of many specific acts and conversations occurring several years before and that the delay was due to the prosecutor's negligence...
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Decided on : Jun-14-1971
Motor Coach Employees v. Lockridge - 403 U.S. 274 (1971) U.S. Supreme Court Motor Coach Employees v. Lockridge, 403 U.S. 274 (1971) Amalgamated Association of Street, Electric Railway & Motor Coach Employees of America v. Lockridge No. 76 Argued December 15, 1970 Decided June 14, 1971 403 U.S. 274 CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME COURT OF IDAHO Syllabus Respondent, who had been discharged from employment on the ground that he had forfeited his good standing membership in petitioner Union by dues arrearage, and was therefore subject to termination under the union security clause in the applicable collective bargaining agreement, brought suit in the state court against the Union and the employer (which was later dropped as a party). The two-count complaint charged (1) that the Union, in suspending respondent from membership, which resulted in his loss of employment, acted wrongfully, and deprived respondent of the employment with his employer that accrued to him and would accrue to ...
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Decided on : Jun-01-1971
Perez v. Campbell - 402 U.S. 637 (1971) U.S. Supreme Court Perez v. Campbell, 402 U.S. 637 (1971) Perez v. Campbell No. 5175 Argued January 19, 1971 Decided June 1, 1971 402 U.S. 637 CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT Syllabus The provision that "discharge in bankruptcy following the rendering of any such judgment [as a result of an automobile accident] shall not relieve the judgment debtor from any of the requirements of this article," contained in Ariz.Rev.Stat. 28-1163(b), part of the Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act, which the Arizona courts have construed as having as "its principal purpose the protection of the public using the highways from financial hardship which may result from the use of automobiles by financially irresponsible persons," directly conflicts with 17 of the Bankruptcy Act, which states that a discharge in bankruptcy fully discharges all but certain specified judgments, and is thus unconstitutional as ...
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Decided on : Jun-07-1971
Ely v. Klahr - 403 U.S. 108 (1971) U.S. Supreme Court Ely v. Klahr, 403 U.S. 108 (1971) Ely v. Klahr No. 548 Argued March 23, 1971 Decided June 7, 1971 403 U.S. 108 APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA Syllabus Appellant, in this suit filed in 1964 challenging the constitutionality of Arizona's state legislative districting laws, attacked the State's third attempt to enact a valid apportionment plan. The District Court found the plan constitutionally deficient in several respects, but, because of the proximity of the 1970 elections (which would be the last held before the 1970 census data became available for new plans) and because the court concluded that the main difficulty was the State's large population increase since the last census, upheld the legislature's plan as the least unsatisfactory alternative (including appellant's plan). In its order, the court "assume[d] that the Arizona Legislature will, by November 1, 1971, enact a val...
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