Supreme Court Cases to Know

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review; the Court can strike down unconstitutional laws.

Fletcher v. Peck (1810)

Protected property rights; states cannot void contracts.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

National laws are supreme; states cannot tax federal institutions.

Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819)

Protected the sanctity of contracts from state interference.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Congress controls interstate commerce, not states.

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831)

Native tribes are “domestic dependent nations”; states cannot seize tribal lands.

Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge (1837)

Community interest outweighs corporate contracts; pro-states’ rights.

Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)

Slaves are property, not citizens; Missouri Compromise ruled unconstitutional.

Ex parte Merryman (1861)

Lincoln acted unconstitutionally imposing martial law without Congress.

Ex parte Milligan (1866)

Civilians can’t be tried by military courts when civil courts are open.

Texas v. White (1869)

The Union is indestructible; states cannot secede.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Upheld “separate but equal” racial segregation laws.

Muller v. Oregon (1908)

Upheld laws limiting women’s working hours for health reasons.

Schenck v. U.S. (1919)

Free speech can be limited during wartime (“clear and present danger”).

Schechter v. U.S. (1935)

Struck down New Deal law (NIRA) for giving too much power to the president.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Segregation in public schools ruled unconstitutional; overturned Plessy v. Ferguson.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Banned state-sponsored prayer in public schools.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Established “one person, one vote” in legislative representation.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

States must provide a lawyer to defendants who cannot afford one.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Suspects must be informed of their rights before police questioning.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Legalized abortion nationwide based on a constitutional right to privacy.

Regents of California v. Bakke (1978)

Racial quotas in college admissions unconstitutional; race can still be a factor.