Burks v. United States, 437 U.S. 1 (1978) January 13, 2012

At the robbery trial of David Burks, the defendant presented three unchallenged witnesses testifying that he was insane. In response, the government presented two expert witnesses who did not express definite opinions.

Edmund Burke (1729–1797) January 13, 2012

Edmund Burke, British statesman and political philosopher, and the ‘‘father’’ of modern conservatism, was born in Dublin on January 29, 1729. He was the son of a Protestant lawyer and a Roman Catholic mother.

Warren E. Burger (1907–1995) January 12, 2012

Chief Justice Warren Earl Burger was the fifteenth chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Appointed in 1969 to the Supreme Court by President Nixon, Burger served for seventeen years until 1986. 

Burger Court (1969–1986) January 11, 2012

The Burger Court was a transitional institution. It reflected the conflicting currents produced by the transition from the America of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson to the America of Ronald Reagan and his successors.

Burden of Proof: Overview January 11, 2012

If the notion of civil rights or civil liberties entails some fundamental freedoms from governmental overreaching, one of the most telling but perhaps subtle expressions of a commitment to the preservation of civil liberties is found in the legal concept of burden of proof.

Burdeau v. McDowell, 256 U.S. 465 (1921) January 11, 2012

Following an internal investigation into unlawful conduct, Henry L. Doherty & Co. fired its employee, J.C. McDowell.

Bullington v. Missouri, 451 U.S. 430 (1981) January 11, 2012

Bullington was indicted and convicted of capital murder. Under Missouri law, this meant that he would receive either death or life imprisonment without eligibility for parole for fifty years. 

Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976) January 11, 2012

To appreciate the significance of Buckley v. Valeo, it is important to take a step back and consider the role of money in politics since the founding of the nation, but especially with the rise of the modern campaign in the twentieth century.

Buck v. Bell, 274 U.S. 200 (1927) January 11, 2012

In 1924, the state of Virginia passed a law granting certain state hospitals the authority to sterilize patients deemed mentally defective.

Buchanan v. Warley, 245 U.S. 60 (1917) January 11, 2012

A 1914 Louisville, Kentucky city ordinance prohibited blacks from buying houses on blocks where the majority of the residents where white, and at the same time, prohibited whites from buying houses on blocks where the majority of the residents were black.

Buchanan v. Kentucky, 483 U.S. 402 (1987) January 11, 2012

David Buchanan was indicted on capital murder charges for the rape and murder of Barbel Poore.

Anita Bryant (1940–) January 11, 2012

If the Stonewall riot was the event that galvanized the movement for gays’ civil rights, Anita Bryant was the personality that first embodied at the national level the opposition to those rights.

William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925) January 11, 2012

Perhaps best known for his famous ‘‘Cross of Gold’’ speech, William Jennings Bryan had a public career lasting some thirty years.

Lenny Bruce (1925–1966) January 11, 2012

Lenny Bruce is often considered the most influential figure in modern comedy, a pioneer of the acerbic social satire that would dominate the genre in the latter half of the twentieth century.

Brown v. Mississippi, 279 U.S. 278 (1936) January 11, 2012

In Brown v. Mississippi, the Supreme Court for the first time relied upon the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to exclude a confession from evidence in a state court.

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954) January 11, 2012

The U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring state-mandated school segregation unconstitutional, was perhaps the Court’s most important decision of the twentieth century.

Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Virginia ex rel. Virginia State Bar, 377 U.S. 1 (1964) January 11, 2012

The legal profession has traditionally exhibited antipathy toward activities that could be perceived as encouraging litigation. It has also taken a dim view of nonlawyers providing legal advice.

Brooks v. Tennessee, 406 U.S. 605 (1972) January 11, 2012

In Brooks, the Supreme Court struck down a state statute requiring criminal defendants to testify, if at all, before any other defense witnesses take the stand.

Broadcast Regulation January 11, 2012

The history of broadcast regulation affords a unique civil liberties perspective because it is the sole example of a government agency created to supervise the press.

Stephen Gerald Breyer (1938–) January 11, 2012

Justice Stephen Breyer, a Massachusetts Democrat, was President Bill Clinton’s second and final appointment to the Court (following Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 1993).

Brewer v. Williams, 430 U.S. 387 (1977) January 11, 2012

On Christmas Eve 1968, a ten-year-old child was abducted by Williams, a recent escapee from a mental hospital.

Breithaupt v. Abram, 352 U.S. 432 (1957) January 11, 2012

Breithaupt was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in New Mexico following an automobile collision resulting in three deaths.

Bray v. Alexandria Women’s Health Clinic, 506 U.S. 263 (1993) January 11, 2012

In Bray v. Alexandria Women’s Health Clinic, the Supreme Court held that the anti-conspiracy provision of the 1871 Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1985(3) . . .

Braswell v. United States, 487 U.S. 99 (1988) January 11, 2012

The availability of the Fifth Amendment selfincrimination privilege to resist producing documents in response to a subpoena has depended on whether the government sought the records from an individual (or sole proprietorship) or from a larger business organization.