Supreme Court Cases
1. Allegheny County V. ACLU
Ruled nativity scenes in courthouses unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause, but permitted menorahs alongside Christmas trees as non-endorsing of a particular religion.
2. Board of Ed of Pottawatomie County V. Earls
Upheld drug testing for students in extracurricular activities, affirming limited privacy expectations due to reasonable measures employed.
3. Brandenburg V. Ohio
Established criteria for limiting free speech if intended to incite imminent lawless action; protection if not likely to produce action.
4. Chaplinsky V. New Hampshire
Defined "fighting words" as unprotected under free speech rights.
5. Citizens United V. F.E.C.
Confirmed corporate free speech rights, allowing unlimited campaign donations, considering them symbolic speech.
6. D.C. V. Heller
Guaranteed individual gun ownership rights, moving away from a collective interpretation.
7. Gideon V. Wainwright
Mandated that the states provide attorneys to defendants unable to afford counsel, solidifying the right to counsel.
8. Kennedy V. Bremerton School District
Rule permit football coach's prayers, signaling a shift away from the Lemon Test.
9. Lee V. Weisman
Prohibited religious prayers at public school graduations; viewed as coercion.
10. Lemon V. Kurtzman
Articulated criteria for government assistance to religious institutions, which was later modified in Kennedy's ruling.
11. Mapp V. Ohio
Established the exclusionary rule at state level, preventing illegally obtained evidence from being used.
12. Marbury V. Madison
Established the principle of judicial review, enabling courts to invalidate laws contrary to the Constitution.
13. McCulloch V. Maryland
Confirmed the federal government's supremacy over states, allowing national bank establishment under the Elastic Clause.
14. McDonald V. City of Chicago
Extended 2nd Amendment protections to states through the 14th Amendment.
15. Miller V. California
Established the Miller Test for determining what constitutes obscene material not protected by the First Amendment.
16. Miranda V. Arizona
Affirmed that suspects must be informed of their rights before questioning.
17. Near V. Minnesota
Ruled against prior restraint; established press freedoms.
18. New Jersey V. T.L.O.
Created a reasonableness standard for school searches; students have diminished privacy rights.
19. New York Times Co. V. Sullivan
Set precedent that defamation requires proof of actual malice against public figures.
20. Safford Unified School District V. Redding
Ruled against excessive intrusiveness in school searches, particularly in sensitive contexts.
21. Schenck V. U.S.
Established that speech can be restricted if it presents a "clear and present danger."
22. Texas V. Johnson
Confirmed that flag burning is a form of protected symbolic speech under the First Amendment.
23. Tinker V. Des Moines
Upheld students' free speech rights within educational environments.
24. U.S. V. Miller
Clarified that the Second Amendment does not guarantee the right to own specific weapons like a sawed-off shotgun.
25. U.S. V. New York Times (Pentagon Papers case)
Protects press freedoms against governmental censorship concerning national security.
26. West Virginia Board of Ed. V. Barnette
Prohibits mandatory salute to the flag or recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools.