Court Cases

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

This case established the principle of judicial review. (Power of federal courts to rule laws made by congress unconstitutional) Solidified supreme court’s role as a co-equal branch in government and a key interpreter of the constitution.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Shaped federalism in the U.S. by establishing the principle of implied powers. (Congress had implied power to make a national bank, even though not explicitly stated in the constitution.) Also emphasized supremacy of federal law over state law.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Established congress’ power to regulate interstate commerce. This trumped state laws. 

Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

Struck down Georgia’s extension laws against the Indian nations. Acknowledging the natives as their own political community, Georgia law was void against them

Dred Scot v. Sanford (1857)

Held that all people of African descent, enslaved or free, were not considered citizens of the U.S. and therefore could not sue in court. (Also declared Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

Civil Rights Cases (1883)

Weakened legal protections against racial discrimination in the U.S. Supreme Court deemed the Civil Rights Act that aimed to guarantee equal access to public accommodations. unconstitutional. Said fourteenth amendment only applied to state actions not private individuals or businesses.

Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific R.R. v. Illinois (1886)

Significantly limited power of states to regulate railroads involved in interstate commerce. Said that only the federal government could regulate interstate commerce, barring states from setting rates for shipments crossing state lines. 

United States v. E.C. Knight Co. (1895)

Limited the scope of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Ruled that the Act did not apply to manufacturing monopolies. Limited federal ability to regulate monopolies mainly in manufacturing. 

In Re Debs (1895)

Affirmed federal government authority to intervene in labor disputes in order to ensure the free flow of commerce and postal services. Allowed government to stop labor strikes that interfered with the mail or interstate commerce. (Pullman strike with Eugene V. Debs)

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Established the separate but equal doctrine, legitimizing legal racial segregation. Upheld state laws requiring segregation in public facilities which were supposed to be deemed equal in quality.

Northern Securities Co. v. United States (1904)

Upheld the Sherman Antitrust Act allowing the federal government to regulate monopolies, particularly relating to interstate commerce. Northern Securities was not allowed to control competing railroad companies.

Lochner v. New York (1905)

Deemed NYS law limiting bakers working hours was unconstitutional. Sparked period known as the “Lochner Era” when Court often struck down state labor regulations. They argued they interfered with freedom of contract.

Muller v. Oregon (1908

Held state law limiting womens work hours creating a precedent for state-level protective labor legislation based on sex differences. Later more controversial for possibly limiting women's economic opportunities.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Established the “clear and present danger” test, defining the limits of free speech under the first amendment. Speech that presented clear and present danger could have been restricted. 

Schechter Poultry Corporation v. United States (1935)

Declared the National Industrial Recovery Act unconstitutional. Court deemed that it improperly delegated legislative power to the executive branch and it overstepped the bounds of congressional authority over interstate commerce. 

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

Upheld the constitutionality of Executive order 9066 authorizing internment of Japanese Americans during World War 2. Precedent for the government's power to suspend civil rights in the name of national security and highlighted the dangers of racial profiling and discrimination. 

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)

Declared state-sponsored segregation in public schools unconstitutional. (Overruled separate but equal doctrine by Plessy V. Ferguson

Watkins v. United States (1957)

Significantly limited congress’ investigative power particularly relating to the House Committee on Unamerican Activities. Court ruled that while Congress does have broad investigative powers, these powers are not unlimited. 

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Under 4th and 14th amendments, illegally seized evidence could not be used in a state criminal trial. 

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Federal court jurisdiction over state legislative apportionment. Supreme Court rules that federal courts can hear cases challenging fairness of how state legislative districts are drawn.

Engle v. Vitale (1962)

Prohibited mandatory school-sponsored prayer in public schools. Violated first amendment preventing the government from establishing an official religion.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Ruling mandated that states provide legal representation to those who cannot afford it, allowing for a fair trial as guaranteed by the 6th amendment. 

Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964)

Upheld the constitutionality of the Civil Rights act of 1964. Particularly Title 2 prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations based of race religion or national origin. Affirmed that Congress could regulate businesses engaged in interstate commerce to prevent racial discrimination, solidifying the power of the commerce clause in combating segregation.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Established a law that law enforcement must inform suspects of their constitutional rights before questioning them. 

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Established that students first amendment rights extend to public schools. Schools cannot restrict student speech unless it “materially and substantially disrupts” the education process.

New York Times v. United States (1971)

Reaffirmed the First Amendment’s protection of a free press and its limitation on the governments power to impose prior restraint. Nixon could not prevent NY Times and Washington Post from publishing classified documents about Vietnam war called the Pentagon Papers.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Established a woman's constitutional right to an abortion, legalizing the procedure nation-wide. 

United States v. Nixon (1974)

Affirmed that the President is not above the law and cannot use executive privilege to withhold evidence from a criminal investigation. Forced Nixon to release White House tapes related to the Watergate scandal.

New Jersey v. TLO (1985)

Established that the fourth amendment's prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures applies to public school officials. However, it also recognized a reduced expectation of privacy for students at school. Allows school officials to conduct searches without a warrant or probable cause, as long as its reasonable under the circumstances. 

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania, et. al. v. Casey (1992)

Impacted abortion rights by upholding Roe v. Wades core holding while also introducing the  “undue burden” standard for evaluating abortion restrictions. Allowed states to regulate abortions more extensively than before, as long as restrictions did not create a substantial obstacle to a woman looking for an abortion. 

Bush v. Gore (2000)

Impacted the AMerican political landscape, directly influencing the outcome of the 2000 presidential election and creating important discussions about the administration of elections, the role of the judiciary, and the potential for partisanship to affect the election process. 

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Impacted campaign finance law by declaring that corporations and unions have the same First Amendment rights as individuals, allowing them to spend unlimited amounts of money on political advertising independently of candidate campaigns. 

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022)

Altered the legal landscape of abortion access in the U.S. by overturning Roe v. Wade. Allowed individual states to regulate or ban abortion as they see fit.