court cade synopsis

Marbury v. Madison, 1803

First use of judicial review.

McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819

Maryland could not tax the Bank of the United States because of federal supremacy, and the right of the national government to charter a bank.

Worcester v. Georgia, 1832

The Supreme Court ruled that Georgia could not pass legislation regarding Cherokee land.

Dred Scott v. Sandford, 1857

Chief Justice Roger B. Taney said that slaves were property, and owners could not be deprived of them.

Slaughterhouse Cases, 1873

The Fourteenth Amendment did not protect slaughterhouse workers attempting to conduct a business.

Insular Cases, c1905

Stated that Constitutional rights did not necessarily extend to US territories acquired during the Age of Imperialism.

Muller v. Oregon, 1908

The court said that women were not permitted to work such long hours because they might damage their bodies for maternity.

Schenck v. US, 1919

Said that free speech was not absolute. One can’t utter something that creates a “clear and present danger,” as someone can’t shout “FIRE!” in a crowded theater.

Schechter Poultry Corp. v. US, 1935

Declared the New Deal’s NIRA unconstitutional.

US v. Butler, 1936

Declared the New Deal’s AAA unconstitutional.

Korematsu v. US, 1944

Japanese internment was constitutional, as in times of war, rights can be limited.

Dennis v. US, 1951

Upheld the Smith Act during the Cold War which made it illegal to speak about overthrowing the government. Due process was limited because of a fear of communism.This was similar to the “clear and present danger” decision of the Schenck case.

Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896

Justified Jim Crow laws. “Separate but equal” was fine.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas,1954

Ended segregation in schools. “Separate but equal” is inherently unequal.

Engel v. Vitale, 1962

The Supreme Court ruled that official school-sponsored prayer is a violation of the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. Even if the prayer was non-denominational and optional, it was still unconstitutional.

Heart of Atlanta Motel v. US, 1964

Public accommodations, such as hotels, can’t reject customers based on race. The Civil Rights Act does not violate the Commerce Clause, and can therefore influence such businesses.

Miranda v. Arizona, (1966) Gideon v. Wainwright, (1963), Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

All of these decisions of the Warren Court protected rights of the accused.

Griswold v. Connecticut, 1965

A Connecticut law making it illegal for married people to obtain contraceptives (birth control) was declared unconstitutional. The the university admissions process, but distinct racial quotas are illegal.

Texas v. Johnson,1989

Burning of the American flag was protected by the First Amendment.