In 1954, Cleveland-area physician Sam Sheppard was arrested for the murder of his pregnant wife Marilyn. Before the trial, the media was accused of bias against Sheppard and inflammatory coverage of the...
Visit case page
Jun 22, 1964
Jacobellis v. Ohio 378 U.S. 184 (1964)
Free Speech
Status: Historic
In 1959, Nico Jacobellis, manager of the Heights Art Movie Theater in Cleveland Heights, showed Les Amants (“The Lovers”), a film that featured a woman who leaves her husband and...
Visit case page
Jun 19, 1961
Mapp v. Ohio 367 U.S. 643 (1961)
Police Practices
Status: Historic
In 1957, future boxing promoter Don King’s house was bombed. Responding to a tip regarding the location of one of the suspects in the bombing, three plainclothes policemen visited the Cleveland-area home of...
Visit case page
Apr 22, 1953
State ex rel. Smilack v. Bushong 159 Ohio St. 259 (Ohio 1953)
Privacy
Status: Historic
In 1951, the Ohio General Assembly established the Un-American Activities Commission. Forty Ohioans were questioned about their affiliation with Communism, including Oscar Smilack, a first-...