Unit 7- Landmark Court Cases

Marbury v Madison (1803)

Established the concept of judicial review

McCulloch v Maryland (1819)

Expanded what "necessary and proper" means and stated that the federal government was more powerful than the states.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Regulating interstate commerce is a power reserved to the federal government

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

declared enslaved people were not citizens (overturned by the 14th amendment)

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

The court ruled in favor of the idea "separate but equal"

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

Internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII does not violate 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause (The actions leading to this case got strict scrutiny, but at the time national security was used as the reason to justify the racial discrimination).

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

"Separate but equal" is not equal, therefore, it is not constitutional. Led to the desegregation of schools

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Evidence obtained without a warrant is inadmissible in court.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

There may not be a prayer, even a nondenominational one, in public schools

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

You are guaranteed a lawyer no matter the crime

Escobedo v. Illinois (1964)

Ruled that a defendant must be allowed access to a lawyer before questioning by police.

Miranda v Arizona (1966)

The police must notify a person of their rights before questioning them and if they do not they cannot use the information in court.

Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (1967)

Approved busing and redrawing district lines as ways of integrating public schools

In re Gault (1967)

U.S. Supreme Court case that determined that juvenile court must comply with the Fourteenth Amendment

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

The student protest was deemed acceptable under the 1st Amendment. The school has the right to limit free speech if it interferes with school operations

New York Times v. US (1971)

Protects the freedom of the press by allowing publishing of the "Pentagon Papers" despite the governments order to restrict it under the claim of national security

Furman v. Georgia (1972)

the death penalty is unconstitutional unless fairly applied

Roe v. Wade (1973)

a state ban on all abortions was unconstitutional as it violates women's rights, guidelines put in place for making abortion laws (overturned by Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022))

United States v. Nixon (1974)

executive privilege was implied in the Constitution but could not be extended to protect documents relevant to criminal prosecutions

Wallace v. Jaffree (1985)

Moments of silent prayer at school are unconstitutional---moments of silence are not.

New Jersey v. TLO (1985)

students may be searched without a warrant if there is "reasonable grounds" for doing so.

Bethel School District v. Fraser (1986)

Obscene or vulgar student speech is not protected under the first amendment

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)

School newspapers can be censored by teachers and administrators

Texas v. Johnson (1989)

flag burning is protected by the First Amendment

Vernonia School District v. Acton (1995)

Random drug testing of athletes does not violate the search and seizure clause of the fourth amendment

Bush v. Gore (2000)

Use of 14th Amendment's equal protection clause to stop the Florida recount in the election of 2000.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Political spending by corporations, associations, and labor unions is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

Upholds same sex marriage via 14th amendment equal protection clause