APUSH Midterm Important Court Cases

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established the principle of judicial review, giving courts the power to declare laws unconstitutional.

Fletcher v. Peck (1810)

Ruled that a state law could not invalidate a legal contract, reinforcing the sanctity of contracts under the Contract Clause.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Confirmed federal laws' supremacy over state laws and upheld the constitutionality of the Second Bank of the United States.

Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819)

Protected private corporations from state government interference by upholding the Contract Clause.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Strengthened federal authority over interstate commerce by invalidating a state-granted monopoly.

Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

Declared that Native American nations were sovereign entities with no state law authority on their lands.

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1832)

Held that Native American tribes were 'domestic dependent nations,' limiting their ability to bring cases to the Supreme Court.

Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842)

Struck down Pennsylvania’s personal liberty law, asserting federal supremacy in fugitive slave laws.

Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)

Ruled that African Americans were not citizens and Congress could not prohibit slavery in territories.

Ex parte Milligan (1866)

Held that civilians could not be tried by military tribunals when civilian courts were operational.

North Carolina v. Mann (1830)

Established the absolute authority of slaveholders over enslaved people, ruling that owners could not be prosecuted for violent punishment.

Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842)

A case that legalized labor unions, ruling that strikes and organized labor were not inherently illegal conspiracies.