Marbury v. Madison
• 1803
• Established judicial review (based upon Article
III in Constitution and Judiciary Act of 1789)
• Executive branch employees cannot go against
congressional acts
Chief Justice John Marshall
William Marbury
Plessy v. Ferguson 1896
• SC upheld a 1890 Louisiana law which provided for separate
railroad cars for blacks and whites. Plessy was the one who
was discriminated against. Ferguson was the judge who
upheld the LA law.
• Significance: legitimized segregation
Brown v. Board of Education 1954
• The Court ( in a unanimous decision) declared state laws
establishing separate public schools for black and white
students unconstitutional. Overturned Plessy.
• Oliver Brown, a parent in Little Rock, was the plaintiff.
• Sig.: States cannot make and enforce “Jim Crow” laws
Engel v. Vitale
• 1962
• Opening school with a prayer
violates the establishment
clause of the First
Amendment
• Engel-one of parents who
protested the school board
approved prayer; Vitaleschool board president
McCulloch v. Maryland
• 1819
• Backed up the national government’s power to use the elasti
clause to make laws; also the Supremacy Clause holds that th
states cannot make laws that “punish” the national
government
• Maryland’s displeasure with a national bank
Tinker v. Des Moines
• 1969
• Defended students’ First Amendment rights in
schools
• Students wore black armbands to protest
Vietnam War
• Established the “Tinker Test:”
If a student’s “speech” significantly disrupts
school and inhibits learning, then it is NOT
protected
Mapp v. Ohio
• 1961
• Incorporation of Fourth Amendment to apply to
state law (unreasonable search and seizure)
• Exclusionary Rule
• Mapp-woman who refused to allow police to
enter home without warrant—she was suspected
of having bombs, they came in anyway and found
obscene material..arrested her and she was
found guilty
• Conviction overturned
Roe v. Wade
• 1973
• Right to privacy extended to include a
woman’s right to have an abortion until
viability (9th Amendment)
• Roe-alias of Jane McCorvey who lied to doctor
about need for abortion (said was raped);
Wade-District Attorney for TX
Texas v. Johnson 1989
• Gregory Johnson served a year in prison for burning
an American flag in protest.
• Sig.: The SC upheld the lower appeals court decision
that declared flag burning as a legitimate freedom of
expression as guaranteed in the First Amendment.
Gideon v. Wainwright
• 1963
• Incorporation of 6th amendment to
states
• States are required to provide legal
counsel in criminal cases if one cannot
afford an attorney
• Wainwright-Sec. of FL dept of
corrections. Gideon-accused of burglary,
lost trial when had to defend self—5 yrs
in jail-appealed to SC
University of California v. Bakke
• 1978
• Ruled it is unconstitutional for universities to
have a requisite # of students based solely on
race with a different admissions procedure
• Violates 14th- Equal Protection
• Schools CAN consider race as a “plus” factor,
but cannot set aside seats, which inherently
also makes race a “negative factor”
• Bakke-white applicant to med school
Baker v. Carr
• 1962
• Redistricting (a state
reserved power) is actually
justiciable-is there
“standing”-the ability to
bring it to a court; allowing
the SC to check the powers
of state govts.
• Baker-Repub. Who lived in
Memphis who felt the
districts were drawn unfairly,
violated 14th amendment.
Carr-sec of state for TN
Katz v. US 1967
• Charles Katz used a pay phone to conduct
illegal gambling. He was caught by FBI &
convicted.
• Sig.: The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Katz,
claiming that a conversation is protected from
unreasonable search and seizure (4th
amendment)
Miranda v. Arizona
• 1966
• A suspect’s responses to police interrogation is
admissible in court only if he has been
informed of his right to an attorney (5th ).
• Ernesto Miranda arrested on charges of
kidnapping and rape—he confessed & was
convicted—ACLU took his case to SC
• SC ordered conviction overturned; retrial;
guilty again
Reynolds v. US
• 1878
• A member of LDS challenged
anti-polygamy laws, claiming a
violation of 1st Amendment
freedom of religion.
• The Court ruled unanimously
that a law banning polygamy was
constitutional, and did not
infringe upon individuals’ First
Amendment right to free
exercise of religion.
Korematsu v. US 1944
• In WWII, Japanese-Americans were forced to
relocate to internment camps for the duration of the
war. Korematsu-violated the executive order.
• Sig.: The SC sided with the national government and
upheld Korematsu’s arrest because they said the
need for national protection outweighed an
individual’s rights.
Lemon v. Kurtzman
• 1971
• States cannot give funding to churchsponsored schools…such actions violate the
establishment clause of the First Amendment
• Lemon-PA teacher that claimed the actions of
the state violated separation of church and
state; Kurtzman-superintendent of schools in
PA
• Established the “Lemon Test”
Bush v. Gore 2000
• In the 2000 presidential
election, there was a
controversy
surrounding the recounting of ballots.
• The Court ruled in favor
of Bush stating that the
method recount
violated the 14th
amendment’s equal
protection clause.
Schenck v. US
• 1919
• A man was convicted for circulating pamphlets
urging resistance to the draft
• Established the "clear and present danger" test to
determine when a state could constitutionally
limit an individual's free speech rights under
the First Amendment.
Bethel School District v. Fraser 1986
• Matthew Fraser was
suspended from school
for making a speech full
of sexual double
entendres at a school
assembly.
• Sig.: The Supreme Court
held that his suspension
did not violate the First
Amendment bc the 1st
amendment doesn’t
cover vulgar speech
Morse v. Frederick
• 2007
• The First Amendment does not protect
student speech (at school sponsored event)
that can be viewed as promoting illegal
activities
• “Bong Hits 4 Jesus”