APUSH Supreme Court Cases

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

• Chief Justice: Marshall

• Established judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of federal laws.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

• Chief Justice: Marshall

• Ruled that states could not tax the federal government, affirming the constitutionality of the Bank of the United States.

• The phrase "the power to tax is the power to destroy" was highlighted.

• Declared states could not impede constitutional laws enacted by Congress.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

• Chief Justice: Marshall

• Clarified the commerce clause, affirming Congressional power over interstate commerce.

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831)

• Chief Justice: Marshall

• Established a "trust relationship" between the federal government and Indian tribes.

• Described the tribes as "domestic dependent nations”.

Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

• Chief Justice: Marshall

• Established tribal autonomy within their boundaries.

• Tribes were recognized as "distinct political communities" with exclusive authority within their territories.

Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842)

• Declared that labor unions were lawful organizations.

• Affirmed that strikes were a lawful weapon for labor unions.

Scott v. Sanford (1857)

• Chief Justice: Taney

• Divided court ruled that Dred Scott was not a citizen and had no standing in court.

• Ruled that Scott's residence in a free state and territory had not made him free after returning to Missouri.

• Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in a territory, based on the 5th Amendment right to property.

• Voided the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

• Legalized segregation in publicly owned facilities based on the principle of "separate but equal".

Lochner v. New York (1905)

• Declared unconstitutional a New York act limiting bakers' working hours.

• Reason: Denial of 14th Amendment rights.

Schenck v. U. S. (1919)

• Unanimously upheld the Espionage Act of 1917.

• Declared that interfering with the war effort could lead to imprisonment.

• Freedom of speech is not absolute; it can be limited if it presents a "clear and present danger".

Korematsu v. U. S. (1941)

• The court upheld the constitutionality of detention camps for Japanese Americans during World War 2.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954)

• Chief Justice: Warren

• Unanimous decision declaring "separate but equal" unconstitutional, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

• Extended the right to counsel in all state and federal criminal trials, regardless of the defendant's ability to pay.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

• Ruled that individuals subjected to in-custody interrogation must be advised of their constitutional right to an attorney and their right to remain silent.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

• Legalized abortion during the first three months of pregnancy.

• Based on 4th Amendment rights to privacy.

U. S. v. Richard Nixon (1974)

• Rejected Richard Nixon’s claim to an unqualified privilege against judicial process.

Bakke v. Regents of the University of California (1978)

• Addressed affirmative action programs using race as a basis for selecting participants.

• The court generally upheld affirmative action, but the ruling was ambiguous due to a split decision.

Bush v. Gore (2000)

• Resolved the 2000 presidential election in favor of George W. Bush by a 5-4 decision.

• Ruled that the Florida Supreme Court's method for recounting ballots was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

• Allowed Florida Secretary of State's certification of George W. Bush as the winner of Florida's 25 electoral votes to stand.

• This gave Bush 271 electoral votes, exceeding the required 270 to win the Electoral College, defeating Al Gore, who received 266 electoral votes (with one abstention).