Today in Supreme Court History: February 17

Brown v. Mississippi, 297 U.S. 278 (decided February 17, 1936): confessions “extorted by brutality and violence” violated Due Process under Fourteenth Amendment (illiterate black men accused of killing white planter were “pre-hanged” to extort confessions; rope marks on their necks were visible at trial)

Wesberry v. Sanders, 376 U.S. 1 (decided February 17, 1964): applies “one person, one vote” Equal Protection rule to House of Representatives and invalidates redistricting in Georgia where one Congressional district had three times as many people as neighboring districts; in dissent Harlan points out that several one-district states have far less people than any one Georgia district and argues that Court cannot tell Congress how to constitute itself

United States v. Healy, 376 U.S. 75 (decided February 17, 1964): Federal Kidnapping Act applies to air travel and does not require monetary motive (defendants hijacked private plane to Cuba, in effect kidnapping pilot)

Walling v. Portland Terminal Co., 330 U.S. 148 (decided February 17, 1947): trainees alleging inadequate wages (they were given only an allowance for expenses) were not “employees” so as to bring Fair Labor Standards Act suit; railroad did not have obligation to hire them at end of two-week training and they were free to go work for another railroad

Smith v. O’Grady, 312 U.S. 329 (decided February 17, 1941): habeas granted to prisoner denied counsel who agreed to plead guilty without ever being told what the charges were