Amendment+9+(2)

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Law cases: Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)- This was a US Supreme Court case that involved a Connecticut law that banned the use of drugs as contraceptives. There were previous attempts to prove the law unconstitutional but they failed. The ruling of the case was that the Constitution protects a right to privacy (9th amendment).

Roe v. Wade (1973)- A milestone court case involving abortion. This case prompted many nation-wide debates about whether or not abortion should be legal. Roe was challenging the constitutionality of a Texas law that denied the right to abortion except for medical reasons. The court decided with a 7 to 2 vote in favor of Roe.

Barron v. Baltimore - John Barron was a co-owner of a profitable wharf in the Baltimore harbor. He sued the mayor of Baltimore for letting streets flow under construction. Under trial Barron won $4,500 dollars

Doe v. Bolton - In 1973 this case was about changing the abortion law in Georgia. The original law is that you can only get an abortion if she was raped. Abortion would only be performed if three physicians and a special commitee in the hospital agree she would get one. Mary Doe sued Bolton, then the attorney general of Georgia was responsible for enforcing this.

Bowers v. Hardwick- Criminalizing oral and anal sex in private between consenting adults. A man named Michael Hardwick was arrested for public drinking. He did not show up to court after so a police officer went to his house to find him. When the officer got there a friend of Michaels was sleeping on the couch and answered the door saying he did not know if Michael was home. The police officer then started to search the house for Michael and ended up walking in on him and his partner engaging in oral sex. He placed them both under arrest for sodomy. When brought to court the judge found this unconstitutional and the law was dropped. Eisestadt v. Baird- Established the right of unmarked people to possess contraception on the same basis as married couples and the right for them to potentially nonprocreative sexual intercourse. The court struck down the Massauchusetts law prohibiting the distribution of contraceptives to unmarried people. A man named William Baird was charged with a felony for handing out contraceptives because at the time they could only be handed out by doctors after taken to court this law was overturned. Changes: The 9th Amendment has not been changed for hundreds of years and we do not see it changing anytime soon. If it has not been changed in that long it obviously is good the way it is and although we all agreed it was vague it obviously works. Interview- (Called the ACLU and email a law professor, neither responded) 1. How do you think the interpretation of the 9th Amendment will change in upcoming years? 2. Do you think the 9th amendment is to vague? 3. Would you make any changes to the 9th Amendment?