Only necessary Key Supreme Court Cases and Their Impacts

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review: the Supreme Court determines the constitutionality of laws

Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819)

Reinforced sanctity of contracts by protecting private corporate charters from state interference

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

States cannot tax the federal government ('the power to tax is the power to destroy'); confirmed constitutionality of the Bank of the United States

Cohens v. Virginia (1821)

Affirmed the Supreme Court's right to review state criminal convictions

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Affirmed Congress's authority to regulate interstate commerce

Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842)

Held that labor unions are legal under state law

Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional; ruled that African Americans were not citizens

Munn v. Illinois (1877)

Upheld Granger laws regulating private industries that affect the public interest

Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway Co. v. Illinois (1886)

Limited states' power to regulate interstate commerce

In re Debs (1895)

Upheld federal injunction power to break strikes that interfered with interstate commerce

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Upheld 'separate but equal' segregation in public facilities

The Insular Cases (1901)

Held that full constitutional rights do not automatically extend to all U.S. territories

Northern Securities Co. v. United States (1904)

Reasserted federal power to break up monopolies under the Sherman Act

New York (1905)

Struck down state law limiting bakers' working hours as a violation of freedom of contract.

Muller v. Oregon (1908)

Upheld a 10‑hour workday for women laundry workers based on health and community concerns ("Brandeis Brief").

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Established the "clear and present danger" test for restricting free speech.

Adkins v. Children's Hospital (1923)

Struck down a minimum‑wage law for women as violating freedom of contract.

Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States (1935)

Struck down the National Recovery Administration as an unconstitutional delegation of legislative power.

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

Upheld the internment of Japanese‑Americans during WWII as a wartime necessity.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)

Declared "separate but equal" segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Guaranteed the right to counsel in all felony criminal cases under the Sixth Amendment.

Escobedo v. Illinois (1964)

Affirmed the right to counsel during police interrogations.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Recognized a constitutional right to privacy for married couples using contraception.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Required police to inform suspects of their rights to remain silent and to an attorney.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Established a woman's right to abortion based on a constitutional right to privacy.

Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989)

Allowed states to restrict use of public funds and facilities for abortions.

Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992)

Reaffirmed Roe but allowed certain state abortion restrictions so long as they did not impose an undue burden.