Court Cases

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Background/Context: During Jefferson's presidency, Marbury, a "midnight judge" appointed by Adams, petitioned for his undelivered commission.

Constitutional Issue: Whether the Judiciary Act of 1789 conflicted with the Constitution by expanding the Court's original jurisdiction.

Ruling: The Act was unconstitutional, establishing judicial review.

Impact: Asserted the Supreme Court's authority to interpret the Constitution.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Background/Context: The constitutionality of the Second Bank of the U.S. and Maryland's tax on it.

Constitutional Issue: Whether Congress had authority to establish a bank and if states could tax it.

Ruling: Congress had power under the Necessary and Proper Clause; Maryland's tax was unconstitutional.

Impact: Strengthened implied powers and federal supremacy.

Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

Background/Context: Georgia's regulation of access to Cherokee lands, violating federal treaties.

Constitutional Issue: Whether Georgia could impose its laws on Cherokee territory.

Ruling: Cherokee Nation was sovereign; Georgia's laws were unconstitutional.

Impact: Established Native American sovereignty, though not enforced by President Jackson.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Background/Context: Dred Scott sued for freedom after living in free territories.

Constitutional Issue: Whether enslaved individuals could claim citizenship and if Congress could prohibit slavery in territories.

Ruling: Scott was not a citizen and had no standing to sue; Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.

Impact: Heightened tensions leading to the Civil War, denied African Americans citizenship rights.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Background/Context: Plessy, a mixed-race man, challenged Louisiana's segregation laws.

Constitutional Issue: Whether segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause.

Ruling: Upheld "separate but equal" doctrine.

Impact: Legitimized segregation and Jim Crow laws until Brown v. Board of Education.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Background/Context: Legal challenges to school segregation, including Linda Brown's case.

Constitutional Issue: Whether school segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause.

Ruling: Segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

Impact: Led to desegregation of schools and was a major civil rights victory.

NY Times v. US (1971)

Background/Context: The Nixon administration tried to prevent publication of the Pentagon Papers.

Constitutional Issue: Whether prior restraint on publication violated the First Amendment.

Ruling: Government's attempt to block publication was unconstitutional.

Impact: Affirmed freedom of the press.

Korematsu v. US (1944)

Background/Context: Internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

Constitutional Issue: Whether internment based on race was constitutional.

Ruling: Upheld internment as a wartime necessity.

Impact: Widely condemned; a symbol of wartime civil liberties violations.

Nixon v. US (1974)

Background/Context: Nixon challenged the impeachment process post-Watergate.

Constitutional Issue: Whether Senate's impeachment process violated the Constitution.

Ruling: Declined to intervene in the impeachment process.

Impact: Reinforced separation of powers and congressional authority in impeachment.

Schenck v. US (1919)

Background/Context: Schenck's anti-draft leaflets during WWI.

Constitutional Issue: Whether Schenck's speech was protected by the First Amendment.

Ruling: Upheld conviction, establishing "clear and present danger" test.

Impact: Limited free speech during wartime.

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Background/Context: Police searched Mapp's home without a warrant.

Constitutional Issue: Whether illegally obtained evidence could be used in state prosecutions.

Ruling: Such evidence is inadmissible in state courts.

Impact: Expanded Fourth Amendment protections.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Background/Context: Challenged state-sponsored prayer in public schools.

Constitutional Issue: Whether state-sponsored prayer violated the Establishment Clause.

Ruling: Unconstitutional as it endorsed religion.

Impact: Reinforced separation of church and state in schools

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Background/Context: Students wore armbands to protest the Vietnam War.

Constitutional Issue: Whether students' symbolic speech was protected by the First Amendment.

Ruling: Protected as symbolic speech.

Impact: Affirmed students' rights to free speech in schools.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Background/Context: Gideon was denied an attorney in a state felony case.

Constitutional Issue: Whether the Sixth Amendment right to counsel applies to states.

Ruling: Right to counsel is fundamental and applies to states.

Impact: Ensured state-provided legal representation.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Background/Context: Miranda was not informed of his rights during police interrogation.

Constitutional Issue: Whether failure to inform violated the Fifth Amendment.

Ruling: Suspects must be informed of their rights.

Impact: Established "Miranda rights."

New Jersey v. TLO (1985)

Background/Context: Student's purse searched without warrant in school.

Constitutional Issue: Whether Fourth Amendment protections apply in schools.

Ruling: School searches require reasonable suspicion, not probable cause.

Impact: Greater leeway for school searches, balancing privacy and safety.

Bush v. Gore (2000)

Background/Context: Disputed 2000 presidential election recount in Florida.

Constitutional Issue: Whether recount methods violated the Equal Protection Clause.

Ruling: Stopped recount due to lack of uniform standards.

Impact: Ended recount, securing Bush's election; remains controversial.