Assignment: Landmark Cases
Name:
Directions: For these Landmarks Cases, fill in the charts on the following pages to explain each of the cases and the Constitutional and
landmark issues that were appealed in the Supreme Court.









Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)
Munn v. Illinois (1877)
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Schenck v. United States (1919)
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
Roe v. Wade (1972)
United States v. Nixon (1974)
Texas v. Johnson (1989)
Final Question:
When you have completed the charts, review the cases and answer the following question:
In your opinion, which of the landmark cases you studied in this class, including Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland and Gideon v.
Wainright, is the most important to you specifically? While these are all important, you must decide on the single case that you think most
directly has an impact on you. Be sure to explain why and give supporting details.
Case name,
year
Dred Scott v.
Sanford (1857)
Munn v. Illinois
(1877)
Plessy v.
Ferguson
(1896)
What was the context
of the case? (Why did
it appear before the
Supreme Court?)
What was/were the
question(s) before the
Court to decide?
What was the
Court’s ruling?
What was/are the
implications of the case
(i.e., what does it mean
for the law)?
What Amendments,
Constitutional
clauses and/or
landmark issues were
involved?
Case name,
year
Schenck v.
United States
(1919)
Brown v. Board
of Education
(1954)
Miranda v.
Arizona (1966)
What was the context
of the case? (Why did
it appear before the
Supreme Court?)
What was/were the
question(s) before the
Court to decide?
What was the
Court’s ruling?
What was/are the
implications of the case
(i.e., what does it mean
for the law)?
What
Amendments,
Constitutional
clauses and/or
landmark issues
were involved?
Case name,
year
Roe v. Wade
(1972)
United States
v. Nixon (1974)
Texas v.
Johnson (1989)
What was the context
of the case? (Why did
it appear before the
Supreme Court?)
What was/were the
question(s) before the
Court to decide?
What was the
Court’s ruling?
What was/are the
implications of the case
(i.e., what does it mean
for the law)?
What
Amendments,
Constitutional
clauses and/or
landmark issues
were involved?