Landmark Supreme Court Cases

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the key landmark Supreme Court cases, their dates, and core constitutional holdings outlined in Table 9.2.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

A landmark case where the Supreme Court declared part of the Judiciary Act unconstitutional, establishing the Court's power of judicial review.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

A landmark case where the Court justified the "implied powers" of the government under the Constitution, enabling Congress and the president to assert authority beyond activities explicitly mentioned in the Constitution.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

A landmark decision that established the supremacy of the federal government over the states in the regulation of commerce so as to create uniform business law.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

A landmark decision where the Court declared that people of African origin brought to the United States as part of the slave trade were not granted citizenship rights under the Constitution and could claim none of its rights and privileges.

Wabash v. Illinois (1886)

A landmark case in which the Court allowed that Congress may make laws and reasonable regulations as may be required for interstate commerce.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

A landmark ruling where the Court interpreted post–Civil War constitutional amendments to permit segregation, provided facilities were "separate but equal."

Lochner v. New York (1905)

A landmark case establishing a general right to enter freely into contracts as part of business, including purchasing and selling labor, which made it more difficult for unions to form.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

A landmark case declaring that the right to free speech does not extend to words used in circumstances that create a "clear and present danger."

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

A landmark case where the Court allowed the U.S. government to intern Japanese Americans in concentration camps during World War II as a safeguard against insurrection or spying.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

A landmark ruling that separate educational facilities could not be equal, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson and ordering an end to segregation "with all deliberate speed."

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

A landmark case where the Court ruled that all evidence obtained by searches and seizures in violation of the federal Constitution is inadmissible in a court of law.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

A landmark decision establishing the Court's authority to hear cases involving legislative districting despite being a "political matter," guaranteeing equal representation in state legislatures and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

A landmark case that struck down a Connecticut law prohibiting counseling on contraceptive use and declared that the Bill of Rights implied a right to privacy.

Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969)

A landmark ruling stating that inflammatory speech cannot be punished by government unless it is likely to incite imminent lawless action.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

A landmark decision holding that a woman may abort her baby for any reason up to fetal viability, and that any law inconsistent with this violates the right to privacy and the right to enter freely into contracts.

Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)

A landmark case where the Court held that colleges and universities have a legitimate interest in promoting diversity.

Roper v. Simmons (2005)

A landmark case holding that it is cruel and unusual punishment to execute persons for crimes they committed before the age of 18.

Kelo v. City of New London (2005)

A landmark case where the Court upheld the power of local governments to seize property for economic development.

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

A landmark ruling holding that states must both allow same-sex couples to marry and recognize same-sex marriages from other states.

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022)

A landmark decision holding that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, thereby overruling Roe v. Wade.