Landmark Supreme Court Cases & Elections Flashcards

Flashcards covering key details of landmark Supreme Court cases and US presidential elections including background, rulings, and significance.

Marbury v. Madison

Background: William Marbury was appointed as a judge, but his commission was not delivered. He sued James Madison, the Secretary of State.
Year: 1803
Ruling: The Court ruled that Marbury was entitled to his commission but that the Supreme Court did not have the authority to force Madison to deliver it. Established judicial review.
Supreme Court Justice: John Marshall
Significance: Established the principle of judicial review, giving the Supreme Court the power to declare laws unconstitutional.

McCulloch v. Maryland

Background: The state of Maryland attempted to tax the Second Bank of the United States.
Year: 1819
Ruling: The Court held that Congress had implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause to create the bank and that states could not tax the federal government.
Supreme Court Justice: John Marshall
Significance: Affirmed the implied powers of Congress and the supremacy of federal law over state law.

Dartmouth College v. Woodward

Background: The state of New Hampshire tried to alter the charter of Dartmouth College.
Year: 1819
Ruling: The Court ruled that the college's charter was a contract that could not be impaired by the state.
Supreme Court Justice: John Marshall
Significance: Protected contracts against state interference and promoted business growth.

Gibbons v. Ogden

Background: A dispute over steamboat operations on the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey.
Year: 1824
Ruling: The Court held that the federal government had the power to regulate interstate commerce, including navigation.
Supreme Court Justice: John Marshall
Significance: Affirmed federal control over interstate commerce.

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia

Background: The Cherokee Nation sought to prevent Georgia from enforcing laws that would remove them from their lands.
Year: 1831
Ruling: The Court ruled that the Cherokee Nation was not a foreign state and could not sue in federal court.
Supreme Court Justice: John Marshall
Significance: Determined that Native American tribes were dependent nations within the U.S.

Worcester v. Georgia

Background: A missionary, Samuel Worcester, was convicted of violating a Georgia law that prohibited non-Native Americans from being on Native American land without a license.
Year: 1832
Ruling: The Court held that the Georgia law was unconstitutional and that the federal government had exclusive jurisdiction over relations with Native American tribes.
Supreme Court Justice: John Marshall
Significance: Affirmed federal authority over Native American affairs, though it was largely ignored by President Andrew Jackson.

Commonwealth v. Hunt

Background: Several Journeymen Bootmakers were charged and convicted of conspiracy after they refused to work for employers that hired members of the Boston Society of Journeymen Bootmakers.
Year: 1842
Ruling: The Court ruled that labor unions were lawful organizations and had the right to strike.
Supreme Court Justice:
Significance: Recognized the legality of labor unions and their right to organize and strike.

Scott v. Sanford (Dred Scott Case)

Background: Dred Scott, a slave, sued for his freedom after living in free territories.
Year: 1857
Ruling: The Court held that slaves were not citizens and had no right to sue in federal court; also, that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories.
Supreme Court Justice: Roger B. Taney
Significance: Increased tensions over slavery and contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Background: Homer Plessy, who was of mixed race, challenged a Louisiana law requiring segregation on trains.
Year: 1896
Ruling: The Court upheld the constitutionality of segregation under the doctrine of 'separate but equal.'
Supreme Court Justice:
Significance: Established the 'separate but equal' doctrine, which allowed segregation to continue legally for decades.

Downes v. Bidwell ('Insular Cases')

Background: Whether people in annexed territories were subject to the same rights as US citizens.
Year: 1901
Ruling: Ruled that people in U.S. territories weren't automatically granted the rights of U.S. citizens.
Supreme Court Justice:
Significance: Determined that constitutional rights were not automatically extended to people in U.S. territories.

Schenck v. U.S.

Background: Charles Schenck was convicted of violating the Espionage Act by distributing leaflets urging people to resist the draft during World War I.
Year: 1919
Ruling: The Court held that Schenck's speech was not protected by the First Amendment because it created a 'clear and present danger.'
Supreme Court Justice:
Significance: Established the 'clear and present danger' test for restricting free speech.

Korematsu v. U.S.

Background: Fred Korematsu challenged the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Year: 1944
Ruling: The Court upheld the constitutionality of the internment, arguing that it was justified by military necessity.
Supreme Court Justice:
Significance: Remains a controversial decision that upheld the government's power to detain citizens based on race during wartime.

Brown v. Board of Education

Background: A challenge to the 'separate but equal' doctrine in public schools.
Year: 1954
Ruling: The Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, ruling that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
Supreme Court Justice: Earl Warren
Significance: Ended legal segregation in public schools and was a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement.

Miranda v. Arizona

Background: Ernesto Miranda was interrogated without being informed of his rights.
Year: 1966
Ruling: The Court held that criminal suspects must be informed of their constitutional rights, including the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney, before being interrogated.
Supreme Court Justice: Earl Warren
Significance: Established the 'Miranda rights,' which police must read to suspects before questioning.

Roe v. Wade

Background: A challenge to Texas laws prohibiting abortion.
Year: 1973
Ruling: The Court held that a woman has a constitutional right to an abortion under certain circumstances.
Supreme Court Justice: Warren Burger
Significance: Established a woman's right to an abortion, though it has been modified and challenged over the years.

Presidential Election of 1800

Candidates: John Adams (Federalist) vs. Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)
Winner: Thomas Jefferson
Issues: Federalist policies, Alien and Sedition Acts, states' rights
Vote Counts: Jefferson (73 electoral votes) defeated John Adams (65 electoral votes).

Presidential Election of 1824

Candidates: Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, William Crawford
Winner: John Quincy Adams (elected by the House of Representatives after no candidate won a majority in the Electoral College)
Issues: Sectionalism, the role of the federal government
Vote Counts: Jackson received the most electoral votes, but not a majority, leading to the decision in the House.

Presidential Election of 1860

Candidates: Abraham Lincoln (Republican), Stephen Douglas (Northern Democrat), John Breckinridge (Southern Democrat), John Bell (Constitutional Union)
Winner: Abraham Lincoln
Issues: Slavery, states' rights, sectionalism
Vote Counts: Lincoln won with a plurality of the popular vote and a majority of the electoral vote.

Presidential Election of 1876

Candidates: Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican) vs. Samuel Tilden (Democrat)
Winner: Rutherford B. Hayes (in a highly contested election decided by a special electoral commission)
Issues: Reconstruction, corruption
Vote Counts: Tilden won the popular vote, but Hayes won the electoral vote after a compromise.

Presidential Election of 1896

Candidates: William McKinley (Republican) vs. William Jennings Bryan (Democrat)
Winner: William McKinley
Issues: Gold standard, silver coinage, tariffs
Vote Counts: McKinley won both the popular and electoral votes.

Presidential Election of 1960

Candidates: John F. Kennedy (Democrat) vs. Richard Nixon (Republican)
Winner: John F. Kennedy
Issues: Cold War, missile gap, civil rights
Vote Counts: Kennedy won by a narrow margin in