Amicus curiae

Topic and Background The enduringly discordant debate of abortion is one that disturbs each level of American politics and shows no sign of abating (Sandel, 1989). As with many other arguments in politics, there are two central and dividing observations in this particular discussion: the support and the opposition. Within these two focal points there are numerous subdivisions of this dispute, which is what makes this debate so inimitable (History and Debate of Abortion, n.d.). The…

The petitioner of each case writes a brief (less than 50 page) review about the case’s issue granted for review, and if a group who is not involved with the case directly has an interest in it, an amicus curiae (meaning “friends of the court”) may be filed to provide arguments of their own and recommend case decisions. From October through April, oral arguments are presented to the Supreme Court in two-week sessions during each month. “The week of oral…

Following the attacks on Pearl Harbor during WWII, President Roosevelt feared for national security and the large population of Japanese-American citizens living on or near the coast. He ordered all citizens and resident aliens to be moved inland. Fred Korematsu was arrested on May 30, 1942, in San Leandro, California for being on public streets and not complying with the government’s orders for individuals of Japanese background of any kind to evacuate the coast and move inland to detention…

Proposal #2: Money and Politics: A Citizens United Story One of the most controversial court cases that has pitted the main political forces against each other this past decade has been the controversial Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission. The background of the case, as taken from the website of the FEC states the following: “The Federal Election Campaign Act (the Act) prohibits corporations and labor unions from using their general treasury funds to make electioneering…