Infamous Supreme Court Cases

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Bowers V. Hardwick (1987) Bowers vs. Hardwick took place in Atlanta Georgia in 1986. Hardwick, a bartender at a gay bar in Atlanta Georgia had been cited for drinking in public, while throwing a beer can outside of his bar. Officer Torick had seen Hardwick throw his can and cited him. The citation had been dated for Wednesday of that week, instead of Tuesday. When Hardwick had failed to show up for the citation hearing , Torick issued a warrant for Hardwick’s arrest. Torick proceeded to serve the arrest but Hardwick was not home. Once Hardwick came home and had realized that Torick had been at his house, he immediately went to pay the citation off, but once he arrived , the clerk had said that the warrant had to be processed for 48 hours before anything could actually happen. Weeks later once the warrant was surely processed by Torick, he intended to go arrest Hardwick at his home. Upon entering his house, he notices a “friend” of Hardwick’s sleeping off a hangover on the couch. Apparently there is a dispute about how he had gotten into the house, either by the friend letting the officer in or by the officer letting himself in. Once in the house and engaging in conversation with the acquaintance of Hardwick, Torick began his search around the house for Hardwick. While passing Hardwick’s bedroom, the door had been slightly “adjusted” open. Torick witnessed Hardwick engaged in anal sex with another male. Torick then arrested both men for having anal sex. This violated the “sodomy” statue in the state of Georgia, which basically says that anyone engaged in a sexual activity that is not solely vaginal and penis is breaking the law, especially emphasized against homosexuals. Once in court, Hardwickl was appointed a local district attorney , Michael Bowers. Once upheld in court bowers decided not to

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