SCOTUS Cases: LW-402 Constitutional Law

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Summary: Established the principle of judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional.

Key Details: John Marshall; William Marbury sued for his commission; court ruled part of the Judiciary Act unconstitutional.

Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)

Summary: Held that African Americans, enslaved or free, were not U.S. citizens and could not sue in federal court.

Key Details: Missouri Compromise unconstitutional; heightened tensions leading to Civil War.

Trump v. U.S. (2024)

Summary: Case regarding former President Trump and classified documents; explored executive privilege and DOJ authority.

Key Details: Court examined separation of powers; ongoing legal implications for presidential records.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Summary: Upheld racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.

Key Details: Homer Plessy, 1/8 Black, challenged Louisiana train segregation; legalized segregation for decades.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)

Summary: Segregation in public schools is unconstitutional, overturning Plessy’s “separate but equal.”

Key Details: Focused on psychological harm of segregation; unanimous decision; catalyst for Civil Rights Movement.

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org. (2022)

Summary: Overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing states to regulate or ban abortion.

Key Details: Focused on state powers and historical interpretation of the Constitution.

Texas v. Johnson (1989)

Summary: Flag burning is protected speech under the First Amendment.

Key Details: Gregory Lee Johnson burned a flag in protest; Court emphasized political expression.

Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)

(Correct year: 1969)

Summary: Students retain free speech rights in schools unless it disrupts education.

Key Details: Students wore black armbands to protest Vietnam War; symbolic speech protected.

N.Y. Times v. Sullivan (1964)

Summary: Established actual malice standard for defamation cases involving public officials.

Key Details: Allowed press to report on public figures with protection unless knowingly false.

D.C. v. Heller (2008)

Summary: Second Amendment protects individual right to possess a firearm for self-defense at home.

Key Details: Challenged D.C. handgun ban; first major case recognizing individual gun rights.

McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010)

Summary: Incorporated Second Amendment to states via the 14th Amendment.

Key Details: Chicago handgun ban struck down; reinforced Heller decision at state level.

N.Y. Rifle & Pistols Association v. Bruen (2022)

Summary: Expanded Second Amendment rights to carry firearms in public.

Key Details: States cannot overly restrict public carry; focus on historical tradition.

Terry v. Ohio (1968)

Summary: Police can conduct stop-and-frisk with reasonable suspicion.

Key Details: Protects officers’ safety while balancing Fourth Amendment rights.

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Summary: Exclusionary rule applied to states; illegally obtained evidence inadmissible.

Key Details: Search without warrant; strengthened Fourth Amendment protections.

U.S. v. Leon (1984)

Summary: Established “good faith” exception to exclusionary rule.

Key Details: Evidence from defective warrant admissible if police acted in good faith.

Graham v. Connor (1989)

Summary: Use of force by police judged by “objective reasonableness” standard.

Key Details: Focused on Fourth Amendment and non-lethal force.

Barnes v. Felix (2025)

Summary: [Pending/future case, likely dealing with contemporary civil liberties issues; check current SCOTUS summaries.]

Katz v. U.S. (1967)

Summary: Fourth Amendment protects people, not just places.

Key Details: Wiretapping phone booth; established “reasonable expectation of privacy” standard.

California v. Ciraolo (1986)

Summary: Aerial surveillance of private property does not violate Fourth Amendment.

Key Details: Observed fenced yard from plane; public airspace observation allowed.

U.S. v. Jones (2012)

Summary: GPS tracking by police requires warrant.

Key Details: Extended Fourth Amendment protections to modern surveillance tech.

Carpenter v. U.S. (2018)

Summary: Police need warrant to access cell phone location history.

Key Details: Digital data privacy recognized under Fourth Amendment.

Chambers v. Florida (1940)

Summary: Coerced confessions violate due process.

Key Details: Confessions obtained under intimidation; overturned convictions.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Summary: Miranda rights required before custodial interrogation.

Key Details: Right to remain silent; right to an attorney; Fifth Amendment protections.

Brewer v. Williams (1977)

Summary: Right to counsel applies during police interrogation.

Key Details: Christian burial speech; violation of Sixth Amendment.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Summary: Right to an attorney in state felony trials.

Key Details: Incorporated Sixth Amendment; Clarence Gideon represented himself, won retrial.

Argersinger v. Hamlin (1972)

Summary: Right to counsel applies to misdemeanor cases with jail time.

Key Details: Extended Gideon to lesser offenses.

Furman v. Georgia (1972)

Summary: Temporarily halted death penalty due to arbitrary application.

Key Details: Violated Eighth Amendment; states had to revise laws.

Gregg v. Georgia (1976)

Summary: Death penalty reinstated under guided discretion.

Key Details: Eighth Amendment not violated if procedural safeguards in place.

Atkins v. Virginia (2002)

Summary: Execution of mentally disabled individuals unconstitutional.

Key Details: Eighth Amendment protection; barred death penalty for intellectual disability.

Roper v. Simmons (2005)

Summary: Execution of minors unconstitutional.

Key Details: Eighth Amendment; juveniles under 18 at crime time cannot be executed.

Davis v. Guam (2019)

Summary: Addressed constitutional rights of U.S. territories residents.

Key Details: Often related to equal protection and local governance; check case specifics.

In Re Gault (1967)

Summary: Juveniles have due process rights in delinquency proceedings.

Key Details: Right to notice, counsel, cross

In Re Winship (1970)

Summary: “Beyond a reasonable doubt” standard applies to juvenile delinquency cases.

Key Details: Strengthened fairness in juvenile justice system.

TikTok Inc. v. Garland

Summary: Likely involves social media regulation, national security, or platform liability.

Key Details: Pending; relevant for First Amendment and commerce clause discussions.

Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton (2025)

Summary: Modern First Amendment case; probably about digital media content restrictions.

Key Details: Pending; addresses free speech in online context.

U.S. v. Rahimi (2023)

Summary: Concerns Second Amendment and gun regulation.

Key Details: Court examined limits of firearm restrictions; ongoing implications for state/federal powers.