Marbury v. Madison
Established judicial
review and the
ability to declare
a statute void -
as a legitimate
power of the
Court.
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Ruled that slaves were not
citizens and could not sue for
freedom
Plessy v. Ferguson
Separate facilities for blacks and whites
satisfied the Fourteenth Amendment so
long as they were equal. Set up Separate but
Equal
Brown v. Topeka
The landmark decision by the Supreme
Court that desegregated public schools
throughout the country.
Schenck Vs. United States
Set up “Clear and Present Danger” in
public speech
Miranda v. Arizona
Person arrested must be informed of
their rights to remain silence and a
lawyer.
McCulloch v. Maryland
States can not tax federal banks.
Set up implied Powers
Engel v. Vitale
Recitation of prayer written by state
cannot be said in public schools
Roe v. Wade
Decided states were
limiting abortion too
much, interpreted as right
to an abortion
Gibbons v. Ogdon
Federal law has supremacy over
state law
Barron Vs. Baltimore
Constitution limitations ( Bill of
Rights) restrained only the national
government, not in the states and
cities.
University of California Vs. Bakke
Court force University to eliminate the special
admissions program based only on race. But
allowed institutions to take race into account. Set up
reverse discrimination
United States Vs. Nixon
The President must turn over tapes to
Congress. No person, not even the president
of the United States, is above the law.
Miller Vs.California
Obscene Material is not protected by
the first amendment. Set up guideline
for obscenity laws
Gideon v. Wainwright
• Supreme Court stated that all defendants are
guaranteed to have a lawyer represent them if they
can not afford one and to expand the 6th
amendment to include representation to everyone
no matter what degree of charge.
Wallace v. Jaffree
A law was passed in Alabama calling
for a minute of meditation before school began. The
law was amended in 1981, changing the wording
from only “silent meditation” to adding “or
voluntary prayer”. This made it unconstitutional
Gitlow v. N.Y
New York attempted to outlaw certain speech.
For the first time the supreme Court ruled
that the First Amendment, which guarantees
freedom of speech, could be applied to the
states.
Bush v. Gore
A 7-2 majority of justices found that a ballot recount then
being conducted in certain counties in the State of Florida
was to be stopped due to the lack of a consistent standard.
A 5-4 majority further declared in a per curiam opinion
that there was insufficient time to establish standards for a
new recount that would meet Florida's deadline for
certifying electors.
Adarand Constructor v. Pena
United States Supreme Court case which held that
all racial classifications must be analyzed by a
reviewing court under a standard of "strict
scrutiny," the highest level of Supreme Court
review a "compelling governmental interest."
Everson v. Board of Education
United States Supreme Court case in
American Establishment Clause law. In
addition to incorporating the Establishment
Clause (applying it to the States through the
Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth
Amendment),
Lemon Vs. Kurtzman
Direct government assistance to religious
school was unconstitutional. Set up
guidelines for state to help religious schools.
Gregg v. Georgia
Death Penalty ruled constitutional
Webster Vs. Reproductive
Health Services
Supreme Court ruled that public money could
not be used to fund public facilities of
abortion. And after the fetus is 20 weeks old,
the doctor must test the ability
to survive.
Furman Vs. Georgia
Case raised the
question of racial
imbalances in the use
of the death penalty
Court ruled that there
was an “apparent
arbitrariness use of the
sentence”
California Vs. Greenwood
Courts ruled that garbage cans left in the
street are not expected to remain private, so
the evidence is admissible.
Mapp Vs. Ohio
Evidence Found in an Illegal Search
cannot be used.
Board of Education of Westside
Community Schools v. Mergens
Supreme Court gave a group of
students permission to form a Christian
Club. Declared the Equal Access Act
constitutional
Tinker V. Des Moines Independent
Community School District
Court allowed students to wearing black
armbands to protest Vietnam.
Wesberry V. Sanders
Set up “ One man- One Vote” doctrine. Man
most Gerrymandering unconstitutional.
Majority-Minority gerrymandering is
constitutional.
Clinton V. City of N.Y.
SC declared the Line-Item Veto Act 1996
unconstitutional. SC said president was
using powers given only to the Congress.