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Marbury v. Madison
Marbury was appointed to a position by John Adams, the second president. He didn't get his appointment in time and was deprived of the position by Thomas Jefferson. The case decided that Marbury did deserve the position, however they can do nothing about it. This case established judicial review meaning that the courts can rule over other branches of governments. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
This case dealt with the state of Maryland wanting to tax the Second Bank of the United States. This case developed two important powers of Congress being that they have "implied" power not specifically mentioned in the Constitution and that the Federal government has more power than state governments. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
This case dealt with the slave, Dred Scott. He was a slave in the state of Missouri then moved to the free states of Illinois and Wisconsin. The Court ruled that slaves are not citizens, therefore they can't be considered to have their freedom no matter where they are. This case was very important because it changed the way that slaves citizen rights were interpreted. -
Korematsu v. US
During World War II, Japanese Americans were being ordered into internment camps. The court ruled in favor of the government because they said that the concerns of the United States outweighed the individual rights of citizens. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This case overturned Pless v. Ferguson. This case dealth with the separation of blacks and whites and if it is constitutional to have "separate but equal" facilities. The Court decided that "separate is inherently unequal." This court lead to the progress of the civil rights movement. -
Mapp v. Ohio
Mapp was accused of hiding a criminal in her house and the police illegally seized her house without a warrant. They found illegal material and they arrested her. Mapp argued that this was a violation of her Fourth Amendment right for "unreasonable search and seizures" and that the material can't be used against her in court. The Court ruled in Mapp's favor saying that the illegal material can't be used in court unless obtained with a warrant. -
Engel v. Vitale
This case dealt with prayer in public schools. The Supreme Court determined that it is unconstitutional to have a school prayer and require the recitation of it, if it is in a public school. -
Miranda v. Arizona
In this court case, there was an issue of the defendant not being aware of the rights he possesed. The court ruled that each individual has to be read their "Miranda" rights, otherwise it's unconstitutional due to a violation of the 5th amendment. -
Tinker v. DesMoines
This case was a case dealing with the First Amendment rights of students in school to wear black armbands to protest Vietnam. The Court ruled in favor of the students saying that although students have limited free speech rights in school, they are permitted to wear them since they are not disrupting education. -
Lemon v. Kurtzman
This case was against the superindent reimbursing the nonpublic schools because they were teaching secular material. What is most important that came about from this court case is the Lemon Test.
1. The government's action must have a secular legislative purpose;
2. The government's action must not have the primary effect of either advancing or inhibiting religion;
3. The government's action must not result in an "excessive government entanglement" with religion. -
Roe v. Wade
This case dealt with the issue of abortion. The issue was whether it was legal for a mother to abort her baby and to determine at what age it is okay to do so. The Court determined that abortion is legal in the early stages of pregnancy, and in later with the decision of doctor and certain restrictions. -
University of California v. Bakke
This case dealt with Bakke who was applying for the UC medical center. He was denied admission despite students of a different race with lower test scores and lower admission standards. The Court determined that race can no longer be a determining factor for admission in college. -
New Jersey v. TLO
This court case dealt with school search and seizures. A student was found with cigarettes and upon further investigation of her purse marijuana and a list of students she sold to. She claimed that the search was a violation of her Fourth Amendment right. The Court decided that it is reasonable to seach, because students in schools don't necessarily have all their rights. -
Clinton v. New York
This case dealt with the rights of the President to use a line-item veto. The Case decided that the line-item veto gave too much power to the President because it gave them the option to take out parts of bills passed by the Senate.
