APUSH Midterm: Supreme Court Cases

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review, giving the Supreme Court the power to declare laws unconstitutional; strengthened the judiciary as an equal branch of government.

Fletcher v. Peck (1810)

First time the Supreme Court struck down a state law as unconstitutional; protected contracts from state interference, even when obtained corruptly.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Upheld the constitutionality of the National Bank and denied states the power to tax federal institutions; strengthened federal supremacy and implied powers.

Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819)

Protected corporate charters as contracts; prevented states from altering private institutions’ charters, strengthening private business.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Ruled that only the federal government can regulate interstate commerce, expanding federal power over economic activity.

Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

Declared that Georgia had no authority over Cherokee lands; recognized tribes as sovereign nations under federal protection (ignored by Andrew Jackson).

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1832)

Ruled that the Cherokee were a “domestic dependent nation,” not a foreign nation; therefore the Court could not hear their case—limited tribal ability to challenge state actions.

Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842)

Struck down Pennsylvania’s personal liberty law; ruled that enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act was a federal responsibility, limiting states’ ability to protect escaped slaves.

Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)

Declared African Americans not citizens, ruled Congress could not ban slavery in territories (Missouri Compromise unconstitutional); one of the most infamous decisions.

Ex parte Milligan (1866)

Ruled that civilians cannot be tried in military courts when civilian courts are open, even during wartime; strengthened civil liberties after the Civil War.

North Carolina v. Mann (1830)

Ruled that slaveholders had absolute authority over enslaved people and could not be prosecuted for violence against them; highlighted legal protection of slavery in the South.

Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842)

Declared that labor unions were legal and that strikes were lawful as long as they used lawful means; major victory for the labor movement.