Top 10 Controversial Court Cases
In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court heard 78 cases on issues including terrorism, water rights, firearms and immigration [source: On the Docket]. As the highest court in the land, it serves as the ultimate decider in cases that can alter the law and influence society for generations to come. Take, for instance, Brown v. Board *of Education of Topeka, the 1954 ruling that struck down the concept of "separate but equal" and declared racially segregated public schools unconstitutional. That decision helped spark the Civil Rights Movement, which changed the course of American history.
*Ye*ar: 1994
Charge: Murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman
Plea: Not guilty
*Verdict: Not guilty
The murder case of former Heisman Trophy winner and star NFL fullback O.J. Simpson captivated U.S. audiences for months. It began with the televised police chase of Simpson in a white Ford Bronco through Los Angeles roads on June 17, 1994.
Simpson married Nicole Brown in 1985, but the couple split in 1992. On June 11, 1994, Simpson and Brown attended their daughter's play in Los Angeles and then parted ways. Brown went to dinner with friends, and Simpson left to pack for a flight to Chicago scheduled later that night. The next morning, neighbors found Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman murdered outside of Brown's Los Angeles condo.
Evidence seemed to point in Simpson's direction. For instance, the limo driver who picked Simpson up to take him to the airport the night of the murder testified that when he arrived at the house and rang the doorbell, no one answered. While waiting, the driver then saw a large black person in dark clothes enter Simpson's house. Minutes later, Simpson answered the door. Blood was also found in some of Simpson's belongings, including his white Ford Bronco and a pair of socks.
The trial began on Jan. 24, 1995, after Simpson pled not guilty to the two murders. His defense team was led by Johnnie Cochran, who turned the focus of the trial proceedings to alleged racism of the lead police detective in the case. Since the jury was majority-black, some felt that Cochran manipulated the race issue as a ploy to gain their sympathies. After more than four months of court proceedings, the jury acquitted Simpson *of both counts of murder.
*In light of the evidence, many questioned the jury's decision. And, in the wrongful death civil suit brought by the Brown and Goldman families soon after, Simpson was found guilty.
Year: 1893
Charge: Murders of her father and stepmother, Andrew and Abby Borden
Plea: Not guilty
Verdict: Not guilty
The murder of Andrew and Abby Borden happened on Aug. 4, 1892, in Fall River, Mass. Lizzie Borden, 33 years old at the time, was arrested for the murder based on these facts: She was home alone at the time of the murders and there were no signs of a struggle.
After the trial began, the prosecution presented the infamous head of an axe that was thought to be the m*urder weapon. A friend of Borden's also testified to seeing her burn a dress after the crime. Borden claimed she burned the dress because it was covered in paint.
Nevertheless, the prosecution couldn’t conclusively prove that she -- and no one else -- had killed the parents.* And despite rumors circulating that Borden had a bad relationship with her stepmother, witnesses in the trial testified otherwise.
*After the case concluded and Borden was found not guilty, another suspect was never found.
*Rumored to be the basis of the television show "The Fugitive," Sam Sheppard's trial for the murder of his pregnant wife revolved around an unknown murder weapon and questions abo*ut a possible intruder. Marilyn Sheppard was murdered in her second-floor bedroom early on the morning of July 4, 1954. Sam had reportedly fallen asleep on a daybed on the first floor and was awakened by his wife's scream.
But a shadow of doubt was soon cast over Sam when his account of events seemed somewhat unlikely. He claimed that someone had broken into the house, gone upstairs and attacked Marilyn. He said that he ran upstairs and tried to fight off the "bushy-haired intruder" but was knocked unconscious from behind. After waking up, he ran after the person and tried unsuccessfully to overtake him.
There were no signs of forced entry, and opened drawers and his overturned medical bag seemed too tidy for a random break-in. Also, Sheppard's testimony was given rather stiffly and formally. Evidence of extramarital affairs capped off the prosecution's case.
*The jury found Sheppard guilty of second-degree murder with life imprisonment. But because of how much media attention the case attracted, Sheppard was eventually retried in 1966, where he was acquitted. Interestingly, a civil suit for wrongful imprisonment filed by Sheppard's son and tried in 2000 found Sheppard guilty once again.
The outcome of the Scopes Monkey Trial resonates in U.S. education even today. In 1925, in Dayton, Tenn., high school teacher John Scopes went to court for teaching the theory of evolution to his students. The state's constitution banned the subject in schools. But Scopes served as more of a pawn; the true purpose of the case was to formally debate the evolution ban in court and to address the controversy surrounding it.
The prosecution team wa*s led by William Jennings Bryan, a former presidential candidate and staunch opponent of evolution. On Scopes' side, Clarence Darrow aimed to prove that the state ban was unconstitutional. Bryan and Darrow attracted crowds of thousands during the hearings. The testimonies and their statements weighed the validity of Darwin's theory versus that of the Bible.
*Ultimately, Darrow, on behalf of the defense, requested that the jury find Scopes guilty so that the case could continue to the state Supreme Court, where the constitutional ban could be possibly overturned. The jury did so, and the Tennessee Supreme Court eventually dismissed the case.
*Year: 1982
Charg*e: Attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan
Plea: Insanity
Verdict: Not guilty by reason of insanity
On March 30, 1981, John Hinckley Jr. opened fire on President Ronald Reagan outside of the Park Central Hotel in Washington, D.C. One bullet barely missed the president's heart. Hinckley was wrestled to the ground by Secret Service agents.
But Hinckley wasn't a political vigilante. Rather, he was trying to win the heart of actress Jodie Foster, with whom he'd become obsessed after seeing the 1976 film "Taxi Driver."
After moving to New Haven, Conn., where Foster attended Yale University, leavi*ng multiple letters and speaking with her twice to no avail, Hinckley grew more desperate. Hours before the assassination attempt, he wrote her a note detailing his plot to kill President Reagan to prove himself to her.
Hinckley's defense team set out to prove his insanity, bringing in Hinckley's psychiatrist and other mental health experts to confirm schizophrenia. The prosecution, however, brought in their own experts, testifying that he was sane enough to plan and carry out the detailed plot.
*The jury's verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity enraged many Americans. An often cited ABC News poll taken the day after the verdict was announced revealed that three-quarters of people interviewed disagreed with the jury's decision [source: Finckel]. Hinckley was then transferred to St. Elizabeth's Hospital and in 2003 was allowed to have unsupervised visits with his family.
*Ye*ar: 1994
Charge: Murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman
Plea: Not guilty
*Verdict: Not guilty
The murder case of former Heisman Trophy winner and star NFL fullback O.J. Simpson captivated U.S. audiences for months. It began with the televised police chase of Simpson in a white Ford Bronco through Los Angeles roads on June 17, 1994.
Simpson married Nicole Brown in 1985, but the couple split in 1992. On June 11, 1994, Simpson and Brown attended their daughter's play in Los Angeles and then parted ways. Brown went to dinner with friends, and Simpson left to pack for a flight to Chicago scheduled later that night. The next morning, neighbors found Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman murdered outside of Brown's Los Angeles condo.
Evidence seemed to point in Simpson's direction. For instance, the limo driver who picked Simpson up to take him to the airport the night of the murder testified that when he arrived at the house and rang the doorbell, no one answered. While waiting, the driver then saw a large black person in dark clothes enter Simpson's house. Minutes later, Simpson answered the door. Blood was also found in some of Simpson's belongings, including his white Ford Bronco and a pair of socks.
The trial began on Jan. 24, 1995, after Simpson pled not guilty to the two murders. His defense team was led by Johnnie Cochran, who turned the focus of the trial proceedings to alleged racism of the lead police detective in the case. Since the jury was majority-black, some felt that Cochran manipulated the race issue as a ploy to gain their sympathies. After more than four months of court proceedings, the jury acquitted Simpson *of both counts of murder.
*In light of the evidence, many questioned the jury's decision. And, in the wrongful death civil suit brought by the Brown and Goldman families soon after, Simpson was found guilty.
Year: 1893
Charge: Murders of her father and stepmother, Andrew and Abby Borden
Plea: Not guilty
Verdict: Not guilty
The murder of Andrew and Abby Borden happened on Aug. 4, 1892, in Fall River, Mass. Lizzie Borden, 33 years old at the time, was arrested for the murder based on these facts: She was home alone at the time of the murders and there were no signs of a struggle.
After the trial began, the prosecution presented the infamous head of an axe that was thought to be the m*urder weapon. A friend of Borden's also testified to seeing her burn a dress after the crime. Borden claimed she burned the dress because it was covered in paint.
Nevertheless, the prosecution couldn’t conclusively prove that she -- and no one else -- had killed the parents.* And despite rumors circulating that Borden had a bad relationship with her stepmother, witnesses in the trial testified otherwise.
*After the case concluded and Borden was found not guilty, another suspect was never found.
*Rumored to be the basis of the television show "The Fugitive," Sam Sheppard's trial for the murder of his pregnant wife revolved around an unknown murder weapon and questions abo*ut a possible intruder. Marilyn Sheppard was murdered in her second-floor bedroom early on the morning of July 4, 1954. Sam had reportedly fallen asleep on a daybed on the first floor and was awakened by his wife's scream.
But a shadow of doubt was soon cast over Sam when his account of events seemed somewhat unlikely. He claimed that someone had broken into the house, gone upstairs and attacked Marilyn. He said that he ran upstairs and tried to fight off the "bushy-haired intruder" but was knocked unconscious from behind. After waking up, he ran after the person and tried unsuccessfully to overtake him.
There were no signs of forced entry, and opened drawers and his overturned medical bag seemed too tidy for a random break-in. Also, Sheppard's testimony was given rather stiffly and formally. Evidence of extramarital affairs capped off the prosecution's case.
*The jury found Sheppard guilty of second-degree murder with life imprisonment. But because of how much media attention the case attracted, Sheppard was eventually retried in 1966, where he was acquitted. Interestingly, a civil suit for wrongful imprisonment filed by Sheppard's son and tried in 2000 found Sheppard guilty once again.
The outcome of the Scopes Monkey Trial resonates in U.S. education even today. In 1925, in Dayton, Tenn., high school teacher John Scopes went to court for teaching the theory of evolution to his students. The state's constitution banned the subject in schools. But Scopes served as more of a pawn; the true purpose of the case was to formally debate the evolution ban in court and to address the controversy surrounding it.
The prosecution team wa*s led by William Jennings Bryan, a former presidential candidate and staunch opponent of evolution. On Scopes' side, Clarence Darrow aimed to prove that the state ban was unconstitutional. Bryan and Darrow attracted crowds of thousands during the hearings. The testimonies and their statements weighed the validity of Darwin's theory versus that of the Bible.
*Ultimately, Darrow, on behalf of the defense, requested that the jury find Scopes guilty so that the case could continue to the state Supreme Court, where the constitutional ban could be possibly overturned. The jury did so, and the Tennessee Supreme Court eventually dismissed the case.
*Year: 1982
Charg*e: Attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan
Plea: Insanity
Verdict: Not guilty by reason of insanity
On March 30, 1981, John Hinckley Jr. opened fire on President Ronald Reagan outside of the Park Central Hotel in Washington, D.C. One bullet barely missed the president's heart. Hinckley was wrestled to the ground by Secret Service agents.
But Hinckley wasn't a political vigilante. Rather, he was trying to win the heart of actress Jodie Foster, with whom he'd become obsessed after seeing the 1976 film "Taxi Driver."
After moving to New Haven, Conn., where Foster attended Yale University, leavi*ng multiple letters and speaking with her twice to no avail, Hinckley grew more desperate. Hours before the assassination attempt, he wrote her a note detailing his plot to kill President Reagan to prove himself to her.
Hinckley's defense team set out to prove his insanity, bringing in Hinckley's psychiatrist and other mental health experts to confirm schizophrenia. The prosecution, however, brought in their own experts, testifying that he was sane enough to plan and carry out the detailed plot.
*The jury's verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity enraged many Americans. An often cited ABC News poll taken the day after the verdict was announced revealed that three-quarters of people interviewed disagreed with the jury's decision [source: Finckel]. Hinckley was then transferred to St. Elizabeth's Hospital and in 2003 was allowed to have unsupervised visits with his family.
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