Ingraham v. Wright (1997)

Makenna Rich and Emily AndrzejewskiPeriod 81/6/15

By Julian Leavitt

Background and Facts

Florida state law gave public schools permission to apply corporal punishment to enforce discipline

-law required teachers to obtain principle’s permission before doing so

1970-71 school year Ingraham disobeyed a teacher’s instructions and was given 20 “licks”

teachers hit Roosevelt Andrews for small offenses

Ingraham and Andrews sued the principal and superintendent of Bade County School System

-argued that they violated the 8th and 14th amendments

By Fritz Von Dardel

Amendments Involved

8th -forbids cruel and unusual punishment 14th

-guarantees everyone due process before being deprived of life, liberty, or property 1970 Florida State Law-gave public schools permission to use corporal punishment Image from John Jay College

Majority Opinion

Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.-public schools aren’t part of the criminal justice system

-don’t involve bail, fines, and punishments 8th amendment states“Excessive bail shall not be

required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

Dissent

Justice White, Marshall, Brennan, and Stevens-disagreed with Court decision that corporal

punishment doesn’t amount to cruel/unusual punishment despite of its severity

-questioned why abuse is prohibited against prisoners for being “barbaric and inhumane” but not against students

Framers didn’t place the word “criminal” into the 8th amendment

Image from Microsoft Clip Art

Minority Opinion

Justice Byron R. White-8th amendment applies to all circumstances

-the 8th amendment protects a prisoner but not a child in school

-amendment was made so that brutal punishments weren’t used on anyone

Image from wikimedia

Who Won

5-4 court ruling in favor of Drew Junior High School

-majority party won debate 8th amendment was made to

protect criminals, not students Public schools are open

environments; students go home everyday

parents would know if their children were beaten severely

Students have a right to civil/criminal charges if they feel punishments are too harsh-serves as enough protection

By National Archives and Records Service

Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. (1907-1998)

Born in Virginia Attended Washington and Lee University for

undergraduate and law school Studied at Harvard Law School Worked in corporate law in Virginia and dealt with

local matters in Richmond Chairman of Richmond School Board in 1952-1961

-supported racial segregationEstablished in the Supreme Court in 1971 -chosen by President Richard NixonRegents of University of California v. Backke 1978Retired in 1987

Image from Pixabay

Principles Established

Corporal punishment is still allowed in schools

-it doesn’t violate any amendment in the Constitution If a student feels that a

punishment is too harsh/unnecessary, it can be tested in court

Image from Microsoft Clipart

Bibliography

"Ingraham et al. v. Wright et al.." Great American Court Cases. Ed. Mark Mikula and L. Mpho Mabunda. Vol. 3: Equal Protection and Family Law. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.

"Ingraham v. Wright (1977)." Supreme Court Drama: Cases That Changed America. Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., Richard Clay Hanes, and Rebecca Valentine. Ed. Lawrence W. Baker. 2nd ed. Vol. 2: Criminal Justice and Family Law. Detroit: UXL, 2011. 462-466. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.

 SUGARMAN, STEPHEN D. "Supreme Court of the United States and Education, the." Encyclopedia of Education. Ed. James W. Guthrie. 2nd ed. Vol. 7. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 2422-2425.Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.

Picture of Justice Byron R. White. Digital image. Byron White. N.p., 20 Mar. 2013. Web. 1 Jan. 2015.

Oakes, Robert S. Portrait of Justice Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr. Digital image.Lewis F. Powell, Jr. N.p., 17 Oct. 2005. Web. 1 Jan. 2015.

Bib continued

National Archives and Records Service Photo. Seal of U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Digital image. Goldberg v. Kelly. N.p., 17 Dec. 1953. Web. 1 Jan. 2015.

 Leavitt, Julian. The Man In The Cage. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., 17 Dec. 2014. Web. 22 Dec. 2014.

Gavel. Digital image. Pixabay. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Jan. 2015. Eigth Amendment - Cruel and Unusual Punishment. Digital

image. John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Springshare, n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2015.

Dardel, Fritz V. Husaga. Digital image. Corporal Punishment. N.p., 10 June 2010. Web. 1 Jan. 2015.