Marbury v. Madison (1803, Marshall) : Solidified the court's authority as the interpreter of federal laws' constitutionality, a doctrine known as judicial review.
Fletcher v. Peck (1810, Marshall): Upheld contractual sanctity, stemming from the Yazoo land cases of 1803.
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819, Marshall): Affirmed federal supremacy by prohibiting states from taxing federal institutions, such as the Bank of the United States.
Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819, Marshall): Safeguarded contracts from state interference, particularly regarding Dartmouth College's charter.
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824, Marshall): Clarified Congress's power over interstate commerce, reinforcing the commerce clause.
Johnson v. McIntosh (1823, Marshall): Recognized indigenous land rights as paramount, exclusively under federal jurisdiction.
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831, Marshall): Established a trustee relationship between the federal government and Native American tribes.
Worcester v. Georgia (1832, Marshall): Affirmed tribal autonomy within their territories.
Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge (1837, Taney): Prioritized societal welfare over private interests.
Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842): Legitimized labor unions and strikes as lawful entities and actions.
Scott v. Sanford (1857, Taney): Denied Dred Scott citizenship and reinforced slavery rights in territories.
Ex parte Milligan (1866): Prohibited civilian trials in military courts when civilian courts were available.
Civil Rights Cases of 1883: Legalized private property segregation.
Wabash, St. Louis, and Pacific Railway Co. v. Illinois (1886): Invalidated state Granger laws regulating interstate commerce.
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Co. v. Minnesota (1890): Deemed Granger laws unconstitutional due to property rights violations.
Pollock v. The Farmers’ Loan and Trust Co. (1895): Found the income tax unconstitutional.
U. S. v. E. C. Knight Co. (1895): Restricted federal anti-trust authority.
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): Endorsed "separate but equal" segregation.
"Insular Cases" / Downes v. Bidwell (1901): Allowed tariffs on U.S. territories' goods.
Northern Securities Co. v. U. S. (1904): Upheld federal anti-monopoly powers.
Lochner v. New York (1905): Voided New York's limits on bakers' working hours.
Muller v. Oregon (1908): Recognized labor regulations for women's health.
Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918): Annulled federal child labor laws.
Schenck v. U. S. (1919): Limited free speech during wartime.
Adkins v. Children’s Hospital (1923): Rejected minimum wage laws for women.
Schechter v. U. S. (1936): Nullified the National Industrial Recovery Act.
Korematsu v. U. S. (1941): Supported Japanese-American internment.
Ex parte Endo (1944): Banned internment of U.S.-born Japanese-Americans.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954, Warren): Outlawed school segregation.
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963): Mandated counsel in criminal trials.
Escobedo v. Illinois (1964): Granted access to lawyers before police questioning.
Miranda v. Arizona (1966): Required informing suspects of their rights.
Roe v. Wade (1973): Legalized abortion based on privacy rights.
U. S. v. Richard Nixon (1974): Rejected absolute presidential immunity.
Bakke v. Regents of the University of California (1978): Upheld affirmative action with a divided decision.
Clinton v. Jones (1997): Denied temporary immunity to sitting presidents.
Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000): Favored freedom of association over anti-discrimination laws.
Bush v. Gore (2000): Halted manual recounts in the 2000 presidential election, effectively determining the outcome.