Supreme Court Cases to Know

Term: Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Definition: Established judicial review; the Court can strike down unconstitutional laws.

Term: Fletcher v. Peck (1810)

Definition: Protected property rights; states cannot void contracts.

Term: McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Definition: National laws are supreme; states cannot tax federal institutions.

Term: Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819)

Definition: Protected the sanctity of contracts from state interference.

Term: Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Definition: Congress controls interstate commerce, not states.

Term: Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831)

Definition: Native tribes are “domestic dependent nations”; states cannot seize tribal lands.

Term: Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge (1837)

Definition: Community interest outweighs corporate contracts; pro-states’ rights.

Term: Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)

Definition: Slaves are property, not citizens; Missouri Compromise ruled unconstitutional.

Term: Ex parte Merryman (1861)

Definition: Lincoln acted unconstitutionally imposing martial law without Congress.

Term: Ex parte Milligan (1866)

Definition: Civilians can’t be tried by military courts when civil courts are open.

Term: Texas v. White (1869)

Definition: The Union is indestructible; states cannot secede.

Term: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Definition: Upheld “separate but equal” racial segregation laws.

Term: Muller v. Oregon (1908)

Definition: Upheld laws limiting women’s working hours for health reasons.

Term: Schenck v. U.S. (1919)

Definition: Free speech can be limited during wartime (“clear and present danger”).

Term: Schechter v. U.S. (1935)

Definition: Struck down New Deal law (NIRA) for giving too much power to the president.

Term: Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Definition: Segregation in public schools ruled unconstitutional; overturned Plessy v. Ferguson.

Term: Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Definition: Banned state-sponsored prayer in public schools.

Term: Baker v. Carr (1962)

Definition: Established “one person, one vote” in legislative representation.

Term: Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Definition: States must provide a lawyer to defendants who cannot afford one.

Term: Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Definition: Suspects must be informed of their rights before police questioning.

Term: Roe v. Wade (1973)

Definition: Legalized abortion nationwide based on a constitutional right to privacy.

Term: Regents of California v. Bakke (1978)

Definition: Racial quotas in college admissions unconstitutional; race can still be a factor.