Court Cases
Marbury v. Madison
Ruling: established the principle of judicial review, allowing the courts (judicial branch) to strike down laws they found unconstitutional.
Engel v. Vitale
Background: A NY school made it’s student recite a prayer, until parents argued it violated the Establishment Clause.
Ruling: State-sponsored prayer in schools was unconstitutional, reinforcing the principles of separation of church and state.
Wisconsin v. Yoder
Background: Amish parents refused to send their children to a public school because it went against their beliefs.
Ruling: Religious beliefs can outweigh state educational interest.
Tinker v. De Moiens
Background: students wore black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War and were suspended for violating school policy. They argued that their First Amendment rights had been violated.
Ruling: schools can only limit speech if it causes a substantial disruption (clear and present danger), so students could protest
Texas v. Johnson
Background: Gregory Lee Johnson was convicted for burning an American flag during a political protest, violating a Texas law that prohibited flag desecration.
Ruling: reinforcing the principle that the government cannot prohibit expression simply because it is offensive.
Mapp v. Ohio
Background: police forcibly entered Dollree Mapp’s home without a warrant, searching for a bombing suspect but instead finding obscene materials, which led to her conviction. She appealed, arguing the search violated her Fourth Amendment rights.
Ruling: The ruling established that evidence obtained through illegal searches and seizures is inadmissible in state courts, applying the exclusionary rule to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.
NYT v. US
Background: the New York Times and Washington Post attempted to publish the Pentagon Papers, a classified government report on U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The Nixon administration sought to prevent publication, arguing it posed a national security risk
Ruling: establishing that prior restraint is unconstitutional unless the government proves a direct, immediate, and irreparable harm to national security.
McDonalds v. Chicago
Background: Chicago resident who challenged the city's handgun ban, arguing that it violated his Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Ruling: the Second Amendment is incorporated through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, meaning state and local governments cannot infringe on an individual's right to bear arms.
Miranda v. Arizona
Background: Ernesto Miranda was arrested and confessed to a crime without being informed of his rights to remain silent or to have an attorney present during questioning. His confession was used against him in court, leading to a challenge on the grounds of self-incrimination.
Ruling: The ruling established the requirement for police to inform suspects of their rights, known as the "Miranda rights," before interrogation, to protect against self-incrimination under the Fifth Amendment.
Gideon v. Wainwright
Background: Clarence Earl Gideon was charged with felony theft in Florida and requested a court-appointed attorney, but was denied.
Ruling: The Supreme Court ruled that the Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to counsel in state criminal cases, significantly expanding defendants' rights to legal representation.
Plessy v. Ferguson
Background: Homer Plessy, a mixed-race man, was arrested for sitting in a "whites-only" railroad car in Louisiana, challenging the state’s segregation laws.
Ruling: The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the doctrine of "separate but equal."
Brown v. Board of Education
Background: the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of racial segregation in public schools. The case consolidated five different cases challenging the "separate but equal" doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson.
Ruling: The ruling declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, stating that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal," which led to the desegregation of schools across America.
Regents of UC vs. Bakke
Background: Allan Bakke, a white applicant who challenged the University of California, Davis, Medical School's affirmative action admissions process, claiming he was denied admission in favor of less qualified minority applicants.
Ruling: while race could be considered in admissions, the use of racial quotas was unconstitutional
Roe v. Wade
Ruling: The Court ruled that a woman's right to choose an abortion fell under the constitutional right to privacy, effectively legalizing abortion nationwide.