v 2 court cases

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 - The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated.

Dennis v. United States

1951, made it illegal to advocate or teach the overthrow of the government by force or belong to an organization with this objective. (upheld the Smith Act of 1940)

Dred Scott v. Sanford

1857 Supreme Court decision that stated slaves were not citizens: slaves were property no matter where they were living and the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional

Hustler Magazine v. Falwell

Court held that intentional infliction of emotional distress was permissible First Amendment free speech- so long as such speech was about a public official (figure), and could not reasonably be construed to state actual facts about its subject

Engel v. Vitale

banned formal prayer in schools, goverment whould not make any religion the 'official' religion.

Bush v. Gore

Use of 14th Amendment's equal protection clause to stop the Florida recount in the election of 2000.

Furman v. Georgia

(1972) Death penalty is cruel and unusual if carried out in "an arbitrary, discriminatory, and capricious manner".

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization

a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the court held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion.

Gibbons v. Ogden

Commerce clause case (1824). Decision greatly enlarged Congress' interstate commerce clause power by broadly defining the meaning of "commerce" to include virtually all types of economic activity. Pair with Lopez & Morrison cases (limiting commerce power).

Gideon v. Wainwright

A person who cannot afford an attorney may have one appointed by the government

Gregg v. Georgia

Death penalty is constitutional

Mapp v. Ohio

Established the exclusionary rule was applicable to the states (evidence seized illegally cannot be used in court)

Korematsu v. US

California was right to intern Japanese-Americans in camps during crisis of World War II

Marbury v. Madison

This case establishes the Supreme Court's power of Judicial Review to make sure if a law was unconstitutional

McCulloch v. Maryland

Maryland was trying to tax the national bank and Supreme Court ruled that federal law was stronger than the state law. State can tax federal institutions.

Miller v. California

A 1973 Supreme Court decision that avoided defining obscenity by holding that community standards be used to determine whether material is obscene in terms of appealing to a "prurient interest" and being "patently offensive" and lacking in value.

Miranda v. Arizona

Supreme Court held that criminal suspects must be informed of their right to consult with an attorney and of their right against self-incrimination prior to questioning by police.

Shepard v. Maxwell

A fair trial is more important than complete access of the press

Citizens United v. FEC

corporate funding of independent political broadcasts can't be limited

US v. Windsor

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), enacted in 1996, states that, for the purposes of federal law, the words "marriage" and "spouse" refer to legal unions between one man and one woman. Since that time, some states have authorized same-sex marriage. In other cases regarding the DOMA, federal courts have ruled it unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment, but the courts have disagreed on the rationale

Roe v. Wade

(1973) legalized abortion on the basis of a woman's right to privacy

Plessy v. Ferguson

a 1896 Supreme Court decision which legalized state ordered segregation so long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal

Baker v. Carr

"one man, one vote," prohibited racial gerrymandering; ordered state legislative districts to be near equal in population as possible. (redistricting)

Schenck v. United States

Supreme court decides that any actions taken that present a "clear and present danger" to the public or government isn't allowed, this can limit free speech

Texas v. Johnson

First Amendment/Freedom of Speech/symbolic speech - flag burning is protected speech

Betts v. Brady

Betts was arrested for robbery and requested a lawyer. The state refused to provide him one so he went to trial and argued his own case while also arguing the right to an attorney. Result: The state does not have to provide a citizen with an attorney but merely cannot deny if requested.

Tinker v. Des Moines public schools

students right to free expression in schools

New Jersey v. TLO

students may be searched without a warrant if there is "reasonable ground" for doing so.

West Virginia board of education v. Barnette

students can not be forced to salute the flag or say the Pledge of Allegiance

Bradenburg v. Ohio

protected freedom of speech politically; KKK member can say whatever he wants as long as there's no clear and present danger