Key Supreme Court Cases in U.S. History: Civil Rights, Free Speech, and Privacy

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Overturned Plessy; ruled segregation unconstitutional.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Legalized abortion under right to privacy.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Upheld 'separate but equal' racial segregation.

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Established exclusionary rule; illegal evidence can't be used in court.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Banned school-sponsored prayer; violated Establishment Clause.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Required Miranda rights before police questioning.

Dobbs v. Jackson (2022)

Overturned Roe v. Wade; abortion laws left to states.

U.S. v. Nixon (1974)

Limited presidential power; must hand over Watergate tapes.

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

Legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Free speech can be limited during wartime; 'clear and present danger' test.

Gitlow v. New York (1925)

Incorporated free speech to states through the 14th Amendment.

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

Upheld Japanese American internment during WWII.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Allowed federal courts to hear redistricting cases; 'one person, one vote.'

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Guaranteed right to an attorney for defendants in state courts.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Established right to privacy; struck down ban on contraceptives.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Protected student symbolic speech (black armbands).

New York Times v. United States (1971)

Limited government power to censor; Pentagon Papers case.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Amish can't be forced to attend school past 8th grade; religious freedom upheld.

Gregg v. Georgia (1976)

Reinstated death penalty under new procedures.

New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985)

Schools can search students with reasonable suspicion.

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)

Schools can censor student newspapers.

Texas v. Johnson (1989)

Flag burning protected as free speech.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Racial gerrymandering violates Equal Protection Clause.

U.S. v. Lopez (1995)

Limited federal power; Gun-Free School Zones Act unconstitutional.

Kelo v. New London, Conn. (2005)

Expanded eminent domain; private property can be taken for public use.

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Corporations have free speech rights; unlimited political spending.

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

Incorporated 2nd Amendment right to bear arms to states.