SCOTUS Cases (copy)

Marbury v. Madison

Established the precedent for the judiciary's role as a check on the legislative and executive branches, affirming that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land.

McCulloch v. Maryland

Confirmed the supremacy of federal laws over state laws and upheld Congress's implied powers through the necessary and proper clause.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Brown v. Board of Education

Declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.

Gideon v. Wainwright

Guaranteed the right to counsel for defendants in criminal cases, extending Sixth Amendment rights to state courts.

Miranda v. Arizona

Established Miranda rights, requiring law enforcement to inform individuals of their rights during interrogations.

Roe v. Wade

Established a woman's legal right to have an abortion under the right to privacy.

United States v. Nixon

Affirmed that no person, not even the President, is above the law; led to the release of tape recordings during the Watergate scandal.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

Ruled that racial quotas in college admissions violate the Civil Rights Act but allowed race to be considered in admissions decisions.

Shaw v. Reno

Ruled that race cannot be the predominant factor in creating congressional districts.

Engel v. Vitale

Ruled that school-led prayer violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment.

Wisconsin v. Yoder

Ruled that Wisconsin law mandating school attendance until age 16 violated the Amish families' right to free exercise of religion.

Schenck v. United States

Held that speech creating a 'clear and present danger' is not protected by the First Amendment.

Tinker v. Des Moines

Ruled that students' wearing of armbands to protest the Vietnam War was a form of protected symbolic speech.

New York Times Co. v. United States

Ruled that the government's attempt to suppress publication of a classified document violated the First Amendment's freedom of the press.

McDonald v. Chicago

Extended the rights established in District of Columbia v. Heller to state and local governments, affirming the individual right to bear arms.

Citizens United v. FEC

Ruled that restrictions on political spending by corporations and unions violate the First Amendment right to free speech.