landmark court cases

established judicial review, giving the supreme court the power to declare laws unconstitutional

marbury v. madison (1803)

applied the exclusionary rule to the states, ensuring that evidence obtained illegally cannot be used in state court

mapp v. ohio (1961)

established the requirement for law enforcement to issue warnings to suspects in custody

miranda v. arizona (1966)

ruled that the state must provide legal counsel to poor defendants in felony cases, incorporating the sixth amendment right to counsel in the states

gideon v. wainwright (1963)

affirmed the second amendment right to keep and bear arms for self-defense in the home

d.c. v. heller (2008)

ruled that physically intruding in a suspect’s property to obtain information constitutes a “search” under the fourth amendment

u.s. v. jones (2012)

established a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion under the right to privacy

roe v. wade (1973)

overturned roe v. wade, ruling that the constitution does not confer a right to abortion, returning the authority to individual states to regulate the practice

dobbs v. jackson women’s health organization (2022)

held that the fourteenth amendment requires all states to license and recognize same-sex marriage

obergefell v. hodges (2015)

rules that enslaved or formerly enslaved people were not citizens (overturned by the fourteenth amendment)

dred scott v. sandford (1857)

upheld racial segregation under the “separated but equal” doctrine (since overturned by brown)

plessy v. ferguson (1896)

declared state sponsored segregation in public schools unconstitutional

brown v. board of education (1954)