Court Cases

Plessy v. Ferguson

made Jim Crow laws (segregation) constitutional on a national level and est. separate but equal

Mapp v. Ohio (unlawful procedures), Gideon v. Wainwright and Escobedo v. Illinois (the state must provide a lawyer if you cannot afford one), and Miranda v. Arizona (you have certain rights if accused- your miranda rights)

protect the rights of those accused of crime

Roe v. Wade

made abortion legal, but it was overturned by the Dobbs v. Jackson and abortion was pushed to the states

Worcester v. Georgia & Cherokee nation v. Georgia

won by the cherokee nation, but was not enforced by Andrew Jackson- leading to the Indian removal act and trail of tears

Court Packing

since 2 of his new deal programs (NIRA & AAA) were determined unconstitutional, FDR planned to add 6 new judges to the SC. Congress did NOT allow that, which is an example of court packing

Schenk v. US

limited freedom of speech and est. the “clear and present danger” clause during wartime - German Americans imposed a clear & present danger (during WW1 = espionage & sedition acts. After WW1, FDR used this clause with EO 9066 to go after Japanese after pearl harbor)

Marbury v. madison

est. judicial review (the SC can determine laws unconstitutional- ex. EO 9066 was overturned by ex parte endo)

Brown v. Board of Education

overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and integrated public schools (the lead attorney of NAACP who represented the brown family was thurgood marshall)

Engel v. Vitale

outlawed prayer in public schools (scopes trial)

McCulloch v. Maryland

states cannot tax federal institutions; made the federal bank constitutional

Gibbons v. Ogden

controls interstate trade; reinforced the commerce clause

Citizens united v. Federal election commission

decided that corporations and unions just as important as individuals; they have certain rights and can purchase elections by donating to presidential candidates

Korematsu v. US

ruled that FDR’s EO 9066 on Japanese internment camps was constitutional

Shelby County v. Holder

ruled by John Roberts (from buffalo) that states/localities don’t need federal approval to change voting laws and made parts of 1965 voting rights act unconstitutional (ex. Closing voting poll places leading to long lines)

Muller v. Oregon

protected women that worked over 10 hours (in favor of the cult of domesticity)

Dred Scott v. Sanford

Congress cannot deprive citizens (white slave owners) of property rights due to the 5th amendment; african americans were not considered citizen; the missouri compromise of 1820 was deemed unconstitutional

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

struck down the UC Davis Medical school’s practice of reserving 16 seats for african americans through affirmative action. Bakke, a white man, didn’t like this because he had better score

New York Times v. US

rules that the pentagon papers didn’t violate national security and therefore the newspaper had the right to publish them (nixon didn’t want the pentagon papers published because people would realize he lied about america’s role in reducing the vietnam war)

Tinker v. Des Moines

ruled that wearing black armbands in protest of the Vietnam war was protected by the 1st amendment (part of counter culture); this also unintentionally protected sign language/nonverbal speech

US v. Nixon

ruled that the president is NOT above the law, and Nixon had to turn over the watergate tapes. As a result, he resigned

Munn v. Illinois

was a victory for the grange (farmers); the states may regulate private property use when necessary for the public good

Northern Securities Co. v. US

 the SC broke up J.P. Morgan’s railroad monopoly

Standard oil co. of new jersey v. US

he SC broke up Rockefeller’s standard oil trust

shelby co. eric holder

ever since the civil rights voting act of 1965, the south has been coming up with innovative ways to restrict African Americans from voting (ex. checking ID, closing voting centers, waiting long hours in line)

Sweatt v. Painter

challenged the plessy case in the University of Texas law school admissions

Loving v. VA

made interracial marriages legal

Browder v. Gayle

bus segregation is made unconstitutional

Ed Prigg v. PA

Prigg was a bounty hunter but was jailed when he tried to catch morgan the runaway slave; the SC deemed this unconstitutional and est. the Fugitive Slave act of 1793 → allowed slave hunters to catch runaway slaves