APUSH: Court Cases

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

-Williams Marbury (one of Adams' midnight appointments) sued Secretary of State Madison to force delivery of his commission as a justice of the peace in federal district; Marshall wouldn't rule on it because he said the law that gave supreme court power to rule over such matter was unconstitutional
-established policy of: Supreme Court's power to rule on the constitutionality of federal laws

Fletcher v. Peck (1810)

-GA legislature issued extensive land grants to Yazoo Land Co.; afterwards, considered corrupt, so a legislative session repealed action
-Court ruled that original contract was valid and couldn't be broken

Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819)

-Rep back the pres. of college, Fed. backed trustees
-pres try to make it a public institution (instead of private) by having charter revoked
-ruled that even though Charter was granted by King, it was still a contract & couldn't be changed without consent of both parties

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

-MD tried to levy tax on Baltimore branch of Bank of U.S. (to protect competitive position of state banks)
-ruled against state, b/c state had no right to control an agency of fed gov.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

-NY granted monopoly to Ogden of Hudson River, Gibbons obtained permit from congress to operate steamboat there
-Ogden sued & state ruled in his favor
-Marshall ruled that it was interstate commerce & couldn't be regulated by state (only congress)- monopoly voided

Cherokee nation v. GA (1831)

-court refused to hear case, which Cherokees brought forward, b/c GA abolished their tribal legislature & courts (said that b/c tribe was a foreign nation, the decision should be made by supreme court)
-Marshall said they really weren't foreign nations (just had special status)

Worcester v. GA (1832)

-GA gov. said any US citizen who wanted to enter Cherokee territory had to obtain permission from governor
-GA law overturned b/c fed gov had the constitutionality mandated role of regulating trade with tribes
-Jackson said of Marshall John Marshall has made his decision. Now let him enforce it."

Prigg v. PA (1842)

-court ruled states didn't have to enforce return of fugitive slaves
-Chief Justice Roger B. Taney (MD)- pro south

Dred Scott v. Sanford (1856)

-Dred Scott (slave from MO) taken to IL (free state) by owner for several years so he sued for his freedom
-ruled that he, as a slave, wasn't a slave, and couldn't sue in court

Munn v. IL (1877)

-upheld Granger Laws that regulated railroads

Wabash Case (Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad Co. v. IL) --1886

-ruled one of the Granger Laws in IL was unconstitutional b/c it tried to control interstate commerce (power of Congress only)
-restricted state regulation of commerce

United States v. E.C. Knight Co. (1895)

-Congress charged that a single trust controlled 98% of refined sugar manufacturing in the US, but Court rejected case because trust was involved in manufacturing, NOT interstate commerce (which was what Congress could control), so, trust was not illegal
-weakened Sherman Antitrust Act

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

-ruled that segregation was allowed, as long as the facilities were "separate but equal"

Williams v. MS (1898)

-court allowed literacy tests for voting

Korematsu v. US (1944)

-Roosevelt's 1942 order that Issei and Nisei be relocated to concentration camps was challenged
-court upheld it

Smith v. Allwright (1944)

-supreme court stopped TX primary elections b/c they violated 15th amendment by being restricted only to whites

Sweatt v. Painter (1950)

-ruled that blacks must be allowed to attend integrated law schools in OK and TX

Brown v. Board of Ed. of Topeka (1954)

-NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall challenge decision from Plessy v. Ferguson
-court ruled that separate education facilities weren't equal
-1955-- said states must integrate with great speed
-when court announces Brown II decision, Montgomery bus boycotts began

Roth v. US (1957)

-greatly limited authority of local gov to curb pornopgraphy

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

-ruled that prayers in public schools were unconstitutional

Baker v. Carr (1962)

-required state legislatures to apportion electoral districts so that all citizens votes would have equal weight

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

-confirmed obligation of authorities to inform a criminal suspect his/her rights

Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Ed. (1971)

-court ruled in favor of forcing busog to achieve racial balance in schools

Furman v. GA (1972)

-overturned existing capital punishment statutes & established strict new guidelines for such laws in future

Roe v. Wade (1973)

-based on new theory of constitutional "right to privacy" (first recognized in Grizwold v. CT)
-invalidated all laws prohibiting abortions during first trimester of pregnancy

Webster v. Reproductive Health services (1989)

-court upheld law from MO that prohibited public employees from performing abortions, unless life of mother threatened
-b/c of this decision, some states tried to create similar laws

Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842)

-MA supreme court ruled that unions and strikes were legal