Ruling
SHAW V. RENO (1993)
When it comes to redrawing voting districts, race could not be the deciding factor.
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Established the principle of judicial review - the Supreme Court has the option to declare laws unconstitutional, invalidating them
Engel v Vitale(1962)
The Engel decision resulted in a massive public backlash against the Supreme Court, but the Court held its ground and further expanded the reasoning of the school prayer decision in later cases.
Shaw v Reno(1993)
The case was repeatedly used as a roadblock to the creation of majority-minority voting districts after 1993.
United States v Lopez(1995)
The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 was unconstitutional because the U.S. Congress had exceeded its authority under the commerce clause of the Constitution.
SCHENCK V. UNITED STATES (1919)
Formatted a new understanding of the First Amendment, establishing that the freedom of speech clause doesn’t apply to speech that represented to society a “clear and present danger”
Gideon v Wainwright(1963)
Established a right to trial, which the Sixth Amendment guarantees that counsel is a fundamental right essential to a fair trial. Conclusion resulted in that if you can’t obtain legal representation in federal cases on your own, representation will be provided to you from the government.
United States v Lopez(1995)
struck down a federal law creating gun-free school zones, which limited the power of the federal government in relation to the states
McDonald v Chicago(2010)
“The right to possess a handgun in the home for the purpose of self-defense” is applicable to the states through the 14th Amendment due process clause.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Overturned the ruling of Plessy V. Ferguson, and established the move from segregation to integration. Was a huge step to ending racial discrimination, and set a precedent for future social rights advancements
Tinker v Des Moines Independent Community School District(1969)
By deciding that school officials cannot censor student speech unless it materially and substantially disrupts the educational process the court set a precedent that is still cited in student free speech cases
McDonald v Chicago(2010)
the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,” applies to state and local governments as well as to the federal government.
Citizens United v Federal Election Commission
The freedom of speech clause of the 1st Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for political campaigns.
Baker v. Carr (1962)
Transformed the landscape of American electoral politics by reinforcing the principle of equal representation under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
Tinker v Des Moines Independent Community School District(1969)
The Government's power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people.
Citizens United v Federal Election Commission(2010)
The ruling has ushered in massive increases in political spending from outside groups, dramatically expanding the already outsized political influence of wealthy donors, corporations, and special interest groups.
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Established that the Federal Government could instate a national bank which couldn’t be taxed, which greatly strengthened federal power and the case is continuously used today in cases regarding federalism and the extent of state authority
Wisconsin v Yoder(1972)
established the precedent that an individual's religious interests supersede a state's interests in compulsory education