Supreme Court Case Law Review

Practice flashcards covering primary Supreme Court cases and legal doctrines from the lecture notes.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Granted congress powers to establish a national bank

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Ruled that when a federal and state law are in conflict, the federal law is supreme

Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge (1837)

Supreme Court ruled that a charter granted by a State to a company cannot work to the disadvantage of the public and private companies cannot injure the public welfare

Dred Scot v. Sanford (1857)

Established that slaves are property

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Established that Jim Crow laws are constitutional under the doctrine "separate but equal"

Lochner v. New York (1905)

Declared unconstitutional a New York act limiting the working hours of bakers due to a denial of 14th Amendment rights to contract

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Established that speech may be punished if it creates a clear-and-present-danger test of illegal acts, such as handing out anti-war literature during war

Near v. Minnesota (1931)

Protected the freedom of press at a state level

West Coast Hotel v. Parrish (1937)

Upheld a minimum wage law for women on the ground that a business is a social institution, marking the end of the Lochner era

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Overruled Plessy v. Ferguson and declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Established that illegally obtained evidence cannot be used in court

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Ordered state legislative districts to be as near equal as possible in population, establishing the principle of "One man, one vote."

Engle v. Vitale (1962)

Held that public schools cannot require students to say prayers

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Ruled that defendants in criminal cases have an absolute right to counsel

New York Times v. Sullivan (1964)

Ruled that to libel a public figure, there must be "actual malice" and words penned with "knowingly falsity"

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Established that there is an implied right to privacy in matters of contraception between married people

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Ruled that those subjected to in-custody interrogation be advised of their constitutional right to an attorney and their right to remain silent

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Guaranteed a student's right to protest, such as wearing armbands

San Antonio Independent School District vs. Rodriguez (1973)

Ruled that the Constitution does not guarantee a fundamental right to education and places boundaries on governments actions

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Established that abortion rights fall within the privacy implied in the 14th amendment, though states can restrict choice later in pregnancy

United States v. Nixon (1974)

Limited the scope of a President's use of executive privilege, asserting that no one is above the law

Texas v. Johnson (1989)

Ruled that flag-burning is symbolic speech with a political purpose and is protected by the 1st Amendment

Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health (1990)

Ruled that the state can choose to continue life support as long as its standards for doing so are reasonable

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review and the role of the Supreme Court in the Government

Munn v. Illinois (1877)

Established that states may regulate privately owned businesses in the public's interest and set max rates

"Separate but equal"

The doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) that declared Jim Crow laws constitutional

Clear-and-present-danger test

The test established in Schenck v. United States to determine if speech can be punished for creating illegal acts

Actual malice

The standard established in New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) for a public figure to successfully sue a writer for libel

One man, one vote

The principle established by Baker v. Carr (1962) regarding equal population in state legislative districts

Judicial review

The authority of the Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of laws, as established by Marbury v. Madison (1803)