Key Supreme Court Cases and Their Impact

Marbury v. Madison

This case established the principle of judicial review, meaning the Supreme Court could declare laws unconstitutional. It dramatically increased the power of the judiciary and positioned the Court as a co-equal branch of government. 1803

McCulloch v. Maryland

The Court ruled that states could not tax federal institutions like the Bank of the United States, reinforcing federal supremacy. 1819

Gibbons v. Ogden

This decision clarified that only the federal government has the power to regulate interstate commerce, striking down a New York monopoly. It strengthened federal control over the economy. 1824

Dred Scott v. Sandford

The Court ruled that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be U.S. citizens and that Congress had no power to ban slavery in the territories, making the This decision heightened sectional tensions and pushed the nation closer to Civil War. 1857

Plessy v. Ferguson

This case upheld state racial segregation laws under the "separate but equal" doctrine, providing legal justification for Jim Crow laws and systemic racism for more than half a century. 1896

Schenck v. United States

The Court upheld the conviction of a man who distributed anti-draft leaflets during World War I, establishing the "clear and present danger" test for limiting free speech during wartime. It's a primary example of the limitations of civil liberties during the first Red Scare. 1919

Brown v. Board of Education

This landmark case overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring that racial segregation in public schools was inherently unequal and unconstitutional, sparking the modern civil rights movement. 1954

Gideon v. Wainwright

The Court ruled that states must provide an attorney to defendants in criminal cases who cannot afford one, expanding the rights of the accused under the Sixth Amendment. 1963

Miranda v. Arizona

This case established that suspects must be informed of their rights to remain silent and to an attorney when being interrogated by police, creating what are now known as Miranda rights. 1966

Loving v. Virginia

The Court struck down laws banning interracial marriage, affirming marriage as a basic civil right and applying the Equal Protection Clause to interracial couples. 1967