APUSH Supreme Court Cases

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

-est. principle of judicial review, giving the Supreme Court the power to declare laws unconstitutional.

-ruled that Congress cannot pass legislation that conflicts w/the Constitution

-solidified the judiciary's role as a coequal branch of government.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

-upheld the constitutionality of the 2nd Bank of the US

-ruled that states cannot tax federal institutions

-reinforced the supremacy of federal law over state law, strengthened the concept of implied powers under the Necessary and Proper clause

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

-case regarding regulation of steamboat navigation in NY

-ruled that under Article I’s Commerce Clause, Congress has power to regulate any aspect of commerce that crosses state lines.

-Commerce Clause has provided the basis for sweeping congressional power over numerous national issues.

The Marshall Trilogy (1823-1832)

-series of landmark Supreme Court cases, defined the legal status of Native tribes within the US.

-est. principle of tribal sovereignty while also characterizing tribes as "domestic dependent nations.”

-President Jackson's defiance of Marshall contributed to the forced removal of tribes during the Trail of Tears.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

-Dred Scott was a slave who attempted to sue for his freedom.

-ruled that African Americans, enslaved or free, could not be U.S. citizens.

-declared Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, ruling that slavery could not be restricted by Congress out West.

Ex parte Merryman (1861)

-not a Supreme Court case, decision by Chief Justice Roger Taney

-challenged President Abraham Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War.

-ruled that the president did not have the authority to suspend the writ w/o congressional approval

-Lincoln ignored the ruling.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

-Homer Plessy, a man of mixed race, challenged Louisiana's segregation laws by refusing to leave a whites-only train car.

-ruled against Plessy, upheld the "separate but equal" doctrine

-allowed states to maintain racially segregated public facilities, legitimized Jim Crow laws, reinforced systemic discrimination.

Insular Cases (1901)

-series of decisions regarding U.S. territories acquired after the Spanish-American War.

-ruled that full constitutional rights do not automatically apply to territories acquired by the U.S (ex: PR, Philippines)

-These decisions shaped U.S. imperial policy and its relationship with territories.

Lochner v. New York (1905)

-struck down a NY law that limited bakers to a 10-hour workday.

-argued that the law violated "liberty of contract".

-emblematic of the Gilded Age’s preference for laissez-faire economics.

Ozawa v. United States

United States v. Thind (1922-1923)

-rulings that defined whiteness as a requirement for U.S. citizenship under the Naturalization Act of 1790.

-ruled that Japanese immigrants were not white in Ozawa and rejected an Indian immigrant’s claim to whiteness in Thind

-emphasized "common understanding" over scientific classifications.

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

-held that the need to protect against espionage > individual rights of Japanese Americans

-upheld internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, despite widespread violations of civil liberties

-criticized for disregard of constitutional protections in national crisis.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

-overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, which had upheld state segregation laws for public facilities under the “separate but equal” doctrine.

-concluded that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,”

-held that segregation of students in public schools violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

-struck down a CT law banning birth control

-from the “penumbras” of the Bill of Rights (implied rights for people that are not explicitly stated in the Constitution but are inferred)

-became a cornerstone for cases involving individual autonomy, including woman's control over her own body + right to same-sex relationships.

Loving v. Virginia (1967)

-held that VA’s anti-miscegenation statute, which outlawed interracial marriage, violated the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

New York Times. v. US (1971)

-Commonly referred to as the "Pentagon Papers Case," landmark in freedom of the press.

-ruled that Nixon administration's attempt to prevent publication of classified materials related to U.S. involvement in Vietnam violated the 1st Amendment.

-reinforced protections for the press against gov censorship.

United States v. Nixon (1974)

-ruling against Nixon, attempting to use executive privilege to withhold evidence during the Watergate scandal.

-no person is above the law, executive privilege can’t be used to withhold evidence in a criminal trial.

Bush v. Gore (2000)

-halted the Florida recount in the presidential election

- awarded the presidency to George W. Bush, highlighting judiciary's influence on political matters.

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

-allowed unlimited election spending by organizations

(b/c free speech under 1st Amendment.)

Result = rise of super PACs with unlimited election spending

-disproportionate influence of wealthy individuals/corporations on the political process.

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

guaranteed the right to same-sex marriage under 14th amendment

-States must recognize and license these marriages, ensuring marriage equality nationwide.

Dobbs v. Jackson (2022)

ruled that “procuring an abortion is not a fundamental constitutional right b/c has no basis in the Constitution’s text or in our Nation’s history.

-overturned Roe v. Wade (1973)

-returned the power to regulate abortion to the states.