Edwards v. South Carolina (1962)
- Docket
- 86
- Decided
- 1962-01-01
- Category
- General
Summary
Question: Did the arrests and convictions of the marchers violate their freedom of speech, assembly, and petition for redress of their grievances as protected by the First and Fourteenth Amendments? Conclusion: The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment allows the Free Petition Clause to extend to the states as well as the federal government. In an 8-1 decision authored by Justice Potter Stewart, the Court reversed the criminal convictions of the black students. It was clear to the Court that in arresting, convicting, and punishing the students under the circumstances disclosed by the record, the state infringed the students' constitutionally protected rights of free speech, free assembly, and freedom to petition for redress of their grievances. Justice Clark dissented.