Executive Power & Separation of Powers Study Guide

South Dakota v. Dole

The federal government could not coerce states into adopting certain policies, it could use its spending power to incentivize states to comply with federal objectives. The Court established that conditions placed on federal grants must be related to the federal interest in the expenditure of funds and should not be coercive to the point of being unconstitutional.

Ex Parte Merryman

During the Civil War the executive suspended habeas corpus. The case highlighted a significant constitutional conflict between the executive's power to suspend habeas corpus and the judiciary's power to review such actions. It underscored the tension between civil liberties and the government's authority during times of crisis.

Youngstown v. Sawyer

Truman’s seizure of Steel Mills in response to labor dispute during the Korean War. The Court ruled against the President claiming he exceed his constitutional authority. Established a

Korematsu v. US

FDR ordered the internment of Japanese-Americans for security purposes following the outbreak of WW2. The majority opinion justified the internment as a wartime necessity rather than a result of racial prejudice. The Court concluded that the need to protect against espionage and sabotage outweighed Korematsu's individual rights.

NLRB v. Canning

Addressed the issue of recess appointments. President Obama appointed NLRB members during a pro forma session of Congress and they court found this wrong.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

an enslaved African American man, sued for his freedom, arguing that his residence in free territories had made him free. Held that individuals of African descent, whether enslaved or free, could not be considered American citizens and therefore could not bring a lawsuit in federal court. The Court also declared that the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which restricted slavery in certain territories, was unconstitutional, asserting that Congress lacked the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories.

Slaughter-House Cases

Louisiana law granting monopoly to single slaughterhouse which deprived Butchers of livelihoods. Only protected rights related to federal citizenship.

Bradwell v. Illinois

Prevented from being a lawyer and citizenship did not confer the right to practice law and role of wife and homemaker more “appropriate” than being a lawyer.

US v. Cruickshank

Fed. Gov’t didn’t have authority to prosecute individuals for infringing upon the civil rights of others unless acting on behalf of state.

Strauder v. West Virginia

Excluding individuals from jury based on race violated the 14th Amendment.

Civil Rights Cases

Invalidated key provisions (prohibiting discrimination in public places like theatres, inns, and public transportation) of the CRA of 1875. Equal protection prohibited discrimination restricts state actions, not private discriminatory conduct.

Yick Wo v. Hopkins

SF license of laundries overly discriminated against Chinese workers. Even if a law that is race-neutral on its face, but is administered in a prejudicial manner, is an infringement of the Equal Protection Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws under the "separate but equal" doctrine. Homer Plessy, a man of mixed race, challenged Louisiana's Separate Car Act, arguing it violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The Court ruled 7-1 against Plessy, legitimizing segregation and setting a precedent that remained until it was overturned by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954