Supreme Court

• Marbury v. Madison (1803)


  Established judicial review (deciding whether laws are constitutional) after Madison didn't give Marbury his commission
• Fletcher v. Peck (1810)


  Established that Supreme Court could declare state law unconstiutional; Case of land fraud in Georgia
• Martin v. Hunter's Lessee (1816)


  Supreme Court has jurisdiction over state courts involving constitutional rights
• Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819)


  Contracts for private corperations can't be altered by states
• McCuloch v. Maryland (1819)


  Maryland tried to tax the 2nd national bank:

  1. decided that US can't tax federal institutions

  2. federal laws are superior to state laws

  3. government has implied powers to create a national bank
• Cohens v. Virginia (1821)


  2 brothers illegally sold lottery tickets; established that the supreme court can review state courts decisions involving federal powers
• Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)


  New York wanted to grant a steamboat company a monopoly that interfered with Congressional charter. Ruled unconstitutional due to federal government's broad control over interstate commerce
• Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831)


  Ruled that Cherokees were not a foreign nation with rights to sue in a federal court
• Worchester v Georgia (1832)


  Laws of states had no force over Cherokee territory (Jackson sided with states making the ruling meaningless)
• Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842)


  Supreme court ruled that peaceful unions had the right to negotiate labor contracts with employers (first steps towards 10/hr work days, limited periodic depressions, & immigrant workers)
• Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)


  Dred Scott was a past slave who moved to Wisconsin and lived free for 2 years and then went back to Missouri and sued for his freedom but was ruled against due to:

  1. Framers of the constitution didn't intend African Americans to be citizens

  2. Congress couldn't deprive property without due process

  3. Ruled Missouri Compromise unconstitutional
• U.S. v. E. C. Knight Co. (1895)


  Ruled that the anti-trust act only applied to commerce & not manufacturing
• Plessy v. Fergusson (1896)


  Ruled that separate but equal accommodations were allowed under 14th amendment
• Lochner v. New York (1905)


  Ruled against a state law limiting workers to 10/hr days
• Muller v. Oregon (1908)


  Ruled that the health of women needed special protection from long hours
• Schneck v. US (1919)


  Upheld constitutionality of espionage acts after a man had distributed pamphlets against the draft
• Scopes Trial (1925)


  "Monkey Trial" Scopes taught evolution in a biology class, national attention due to clash between fundamentalist's & modernists, led to Scopes conviction and laws banning evolution teaching
• Schnecter v. US (1935)


  Ruled that NRA was unconstitutional
• Smith v. Allwright (1944)


  Ruled that denying political party memberships to African Americans was unconstitutional
• Korematsu v. US (1944)


  Upheld the constitutionality of wartime internment policy
• Dennis v. US


  The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Smith Act which made it illegal to advocate for the overthrow of the government by force
• Brown v. Board of Education


  Segregation of black children in public schools was unconstitutional. Supreme Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson. The court decided that separate facilities were inherently unequal & schools should integrate.
• Mapp v. Ohio


  Ruled that evidence seized illegally cannot be used against the accused in court
• Gideon v. Wainwright


  Required that state courts provide counsel for poor defendants
• Escobedo v. Illinois


  Extended the ruling in Gideon giving suspects the right to have a lawyer present during questioning
• Miranda v. Arizona


  Extended Escobedo to require the police to inform an arrested person of their right to remain silent
• Baker v. Carr


  Election districts would have to be redrawn to provide equal representation for all citizens
• Yates v. US


  1st Amendment protected radical/revolutionary speech unless it was a clear danger
• Engel v. Vitale


  Ruled that prayer in public schools violated church & state
• Griswold v. Connecticut


  Ruled that a citizen's right to privacy extended to contraceptive use
• Roe v. Wade 


  Made abortion legal due to a woman’s right to privacy. Opponents created a pro-life movement
• Regents of the University of California v. Bakke


  Ruled that race could be considered, however racial quotas were unconstitutional.