supreme court cases

funnnn

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Issue: Amish families refusing compulsory school beyond 8th grade
Ruling: State’s interest in education doesn’t override Free Exercise Clause
Impact: Religious freedom can outweigh state education laws

Constitutional Basis: First Amendment – Free Exercise Clause

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Issue: Gun-Free School Zones Act and interstate commerce
Ruling: Congress overstepped using Commerce Clause
Impact: Limited federal power, upheld states' rights

Constitutional Basis: Article I, Section 8 – Commerce Clause

New York Times v. United States (1971)

Issue: Government attempt to block Pentagon Papers publication
Ruling: Prior restraint is unconstitutional
Impact: Strengthened freedom of the press

Constitutional Basis: First Amendment – Freedom of the Press

District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)

Issue: Ban on handguns in D.C.
Ruling: Violated Second Amendment rights
Impact: Confirmed individual right to bear arms

Constitutional Basis: Second Amendment

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Issue: School-led prayer in public schools
Ruling: Unconstitutional; violates Establishment Clause of the First Amendment
Impact: Banned official school-sponsored prayer

Constitutional Basis: First Amendment – Establishment Clause

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

 Issue: Chicago gun control laws
Ruling: Second Amendment applies to states via Fourteenth Amendment
Impact: Incorporated the right to bear arms

Constitutional Basis: Second Amendment + Fourteenth Amendment (Due Process Clause)

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Issue: Use of illegally obtained evidence
Ruling: Exclusionary rule applies to states
Impact: Protected Fourth Amendment rights

Constitutional Basis: Fourth Amendment + Fourteenth Amendment

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

 Issue: Police interrogation without informing rights
Ruling: Suspects must be informed of rights before questioning
Impact: Established “Miranda rights”

Constitutional Basis: Fifth Amendment + Sixth Amendment

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Issue: Right to legal counsel
Ruling: States must provide attorneys to defendants who can’t afford one
Impact: Incorporated Sixth Amendment right to counsel

Constitutional Basis: Sixth Amendment + Fourteenth Amendment

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Issue: Abortion rights
Ruling: Women have constitutional right to abortion
Impact: Protected privacy under Fourteenth Amendment (overturned in 2022)

Fourteenth Amendment – Due Process Clause (privacy)

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

 Issue: Enslaved man suing for freedom
Ruling: African Americans not citizens; Congress can’t ban slavery in territories
Impact: Increased tensions before Civil War

Constitutional basis: article III (standing), Fifth Amendment (property rights)

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

 Issue: Racial segregation on trains
Ruling: “Separate but equal” is constitutional
Impact: Legalized segregation until 1954

Fourteenth Amendment – Equal Protection Clause

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

 Issue: School segregation
Ruling: “Separate but equal” is inherently unequal
Impact: Desegregated public schools

Constitutional Basis: Fourteenth Amendment – Equal Protection Clause

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

 Issue: Internment of Japanese Americans
Ruling: Upheld internment during wartime
Impact: Now widely seen as a grave injustice

Constitutional Basis: Fifth Amendment (Due Process)

Regents of the Univ. of California v. Bakke (1978)

Issue: Racial quotas in college admissions
Ruling: Racial quotas unconstitutional, but race can be one factor
Impact: Affirmative action allowed within limits

Constitutional Basis: Fourteenth Amendment – Equal Protection Clause

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Issue: Malapportioned voting districts
Ruling: Courts can hear redistricting cases
Impact: “One person, one vote” principle

Constitutional Basis: Fourteenth Amendment – Equal Protection Clause

Bush v. Gore (2000)

 Issue: Florida vote recount
Ruling: Recount violated Equal Protection Clause
Impact: Effectively decided the 2000 presidential election

Constitutional Basis: Fourteenth Amendment – Equal Protection Clause

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Issue: Delivery of judicial commissions
Ruling: Established judicial review
Impact: Gave courts power to strike down unconstitutional laws

Constitutional Basis: Article III + Judiciary Act conflict

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Issue: State taxing federal bank
Ruling: Federal law is supreme over state law
Impact: Confirmed implied powers of Congress

Constitutional Basis: Necessary and Proper Clause + Supremacy Clause

Texas v. Johnson (1989)

 Issue: Flag burning as protest
Ruling: Protected as symbolic speech
Impact: Reinforced First Amendment rights

Constitutional Basis: First Amendment – Free Speech

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Issue: Students wearing armbands to protest war
Ruling: Protected free speech in schools
Impact: Students don’t lose rights at school gates

Constitutional Basis: First Amendment – Free Speech

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)

Issue: School censorship of student newspaper
Ruling: Schools can limit school-sponsored speech
Impact: Gave schools more control over student expression

Constitutional Basis: First Amendment – Free Speech (school context)

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Issue: Limits on corporate political spending
Ruling: Corporations have free speech rights
Impact: Led to rise of Super PACs

Constitutional Basis: First Amendment – Free Speech

Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969)

Issue: KKK speech and incitement
Ruling: Speech is protected unless it incites imminent lawless action
Impact: Replaced “clear and present danger” test

Constitutional Basis: First Amendment – Free Speech

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Issue: Anti-draft leaflets during WWI
Ruling: Speech can be limited if it presents “clear and present danger”
Impact: Limited speech during wartime

Constitutional Basis: First Amendment – Free Speech

United States v. Nixon (1974)

Issue: Executive privilege in Watergate scandal
Ruling: President not above law; must turn over tapes
Impact: Limited executive privilege

Constitutional Basis: Article II section 1 (Executive Power) vesting clause