Landmark US Supreme Court Decisions

Marbury v. Madison, 1803

created judicial review--power of Court to declare a law passed by Congress or executive action unconstitutional

McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819

Congress could create the Bank of the US (BUS) b/c it has implied powers from elastic/necessary & proper clause & MD could not tax the BUS b/c of federal supremacy

Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824

federal gov't has the power to regulate interstate commerce (trade that crosses state borders); NY granting a monopoly over ferry routes on Hudson was unconstitutional

Worcester v. Georgia, 1832

Cherokee are considered a sovereign nation so Georgia could not regulate them--only the fed. gov't could make agreements with the Cherokee through the treaty process; President Jackson disobeyed the Court & let GA pursue Indian Removal

Dred Scott v. Sanford, 1857

MO Compromise was ruled unconstitutional b/c slaves are considered property & can be brought anywhere; contributed to tensions leading to Civil War

Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896

set up "separate but equal doctrine" & gave legal protection to Jim Crow laws in the South; 14th equal protection clause was not violated as long as facilities were separate but equal

Northern Securities Co. v. US, 1904

part of T. Roosevelt's "trustbusting" under Sherman Antitrust Act; Co. had to be broken up b/c it eliminated competition & interfered with interstate commerce

Schenck v. US, 1919

set up "clear and present danger" doctrine; gov't can limit free speech if it causes immediate danger, especially during times of crisis/war

Schechter Poultry Co. v. US, 1935

New Deal's National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) was ruled unconstitutional b/c President was taking on legislative powers & intrastate commerce was affected; led to FDR's "Court Packing Plan" proposal

Korematsu v. US, 1944

forcible relocation of Japanese-Americans to internment camps during WWII was legal b/c of concerns over national security; rights are limited during war

Brown v. Board of Education, 1954

overturned "separate but equal doctrine" & declared segregated public schools to be "inherently unequal"--called for desegregation of public schools & gave momentum to Civil Rights Movement

Mapp v. Ohio, 1961

nationalized the 4th Amendment & exclusionary rule using 14th Amendment due process clause--now States also have to throw out evidence seized illegally

Baker v. Carr, 1962

malapportionment was declared unconstitutional; Congressional districts must all have the same population otherwise the 14th Amendment equal protection clause is violated (districts may shift due to the census)

Engel v. Vitale, 1962

public schools/States cannot sponsor prayer in public schools b/c it violates the establishment clause of the 1st Amendment freedom of religion--must be separation between Church & State

Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963

nationalized the 6th Amendment right to an attorney if the accused cannot afford one using 14th Amendment due process clause--State Courts must also provide attorneys

Heart of Atlanta Motel v. US, 1964

upheld the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which ended Jim Crow laws; the ban on discrimination in private facilities such as hotels was legal b/c the act fell under Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce

Miranda v. Arizona, 1966

nationalized the 5th Amendment protection vs. self-incrimination using 14th Amendment due process; accused must be read "Miranda Rights"

Tinker v. Des Moines School District, 1969

students could wear black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War b/c it is symbolic speech protected under the 1st Amendment

New York Times v. US, 1971

NYT & Washington Post could publish the Pentagon Papers (leaked gov't documents) b/c no national security risk was present & the 1st Amendment right to free press must be preserved

Roe v. Wade, 1973

the right to privacy includes the right to abortion within the 1st 3 months of pregnancy; eventually overturned in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health (abortion is to be handled by states)

US v. Nixon, 1974

Nixon could not claim executive privilege & had to hand over the tapes of conversations in the White House as part of the Watergate investigation; executive privilege is limited when there is a criminal investigation

Univ. of CA Davis v. Bakke, 1978

university's admissions policy was unconstitutional; colleges may not use quotas b/c they violate the 14th Amendment equal protection clause but they may use race as one of many factors in admissions' decisions; overturned in 2023--race can no longer be a factor in admissions (SFFA v. Harvard, UNC)

New Jersey v. T.L.O., 1985

schools need only "reasonable suspicion" to conduct searches of students b/c the school is acting "in loco parentis" (safety comes 1st & no warrants are needed)

Vernonia School District v. Acton, 1995

random drug testing of student athletes is permitted b/c schools act "in loco parentis" & athletes already have lesser privacy expectations

Bush v. Gore, 2000

the recounts of ballots in FL had to be stopped--they violated the 14th Amendment equal protection clause b/c the manual recounts lacked uniform standards & only a few counties were being recounted; Presidency was awarded to G.W. Bush