1800-1850
This case established the concept of judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional.
Marbury v Madison
citizenship and slaves. The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans, slave or free, were not citizens of the United States and were not entitled to sue in federal court (although free blacks could be citizens of a state).
Dred Scott v Sandford
freedom of the press, libel. When a white segregationist officials in the South tried to silence newspapers through huge libel suits, the Supreme Court ruled that public figures have a higher burden of proof in a libel case than private citizens.
Engel v Vitale
freedom of the press. By a 6-3 vote the court denied the government’s request for a court order barring publication of a secret Pentagon history of the Vietnam War (Pentagon Papers).
NY Times v US
This 1810 decision marked the first time the Supreme Court declared a state law unconstitutional due to violation of the Contract Clause.
Fletcher v Peck
This 1896 case set the precedent for "separate but equal" facilities, which lasted until the Civil Rights Movement.
Plessy v Ferguson
This 1963 decision ensured that defendants have the right to an attorney, even if they cannot afford one.
Gideon v Wainwright
This 1973 decision established a woman's right to choose to have an abortion under the right to privacy implied in the Constitution.
Roe v Wade
This landmark 1819 case confirmed the constitutionality of the Bank of the United States and the federal government's implied powers.
McCulloch v Maryland
This 1919 decision established the "clear and present danger" test for limiting free speech during wartime.
Schenck v US
freedom of the press, libel. When a white segregationist officials in the South tried to silence newspapers through huge libel suits.
NY Times v Sullivan
This 1974 case required President Nixon to turn over tapes during the Watergate scandal, reaffirming the limits of executive privilege.
US v Nixon
In this 1824 case, the Supreme Court ruled that federal law is supreme over state law in regulating interstate commerce.
Gibbons v Ogden
This 1944 decision upheld the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Korematsu v US
This 1965 case struck down a state law banning contraceptives, citing the right to privacy.
Griswold v Connecticut
The court ruled that manual recounts of presidential ballots in the Nov. 2000 election could not proceed because inconsistent evaluation standards in different counties violated the equal protection clause.
Bush v Gore
This case from 1831 established that Native American tribes were "domestic dependent nations" and could not sue in U.S. courts.
Worcester v Georgia
This famous 1954 decision struck down segregation in public schools, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson's "separate but equal" doctrine.
Brown v Board of Education
This 1966 case established the requirement for police to inform suspects of their rights upon arrest.
Miranda v Arizona
Supreme Court ruling from 1969 that cemented students' rights to free speech in public schools.
Tinker v Des Moines (1966)
[you need to google this one]