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Marbury v. Madison
At the end of President John Adams’ term, hefailed to deliver documents commissioning Marbury as Justice of the Peace in D.C.. Once President Jefferson was sworn in, in order to keep members of the opposing political party from taking office, he told Madison, his Secretary of State, to not deliver the documents. Marbury then sued Madison asking the Supreme Court to issue a writ requiring him to deliver the documents. The Marbury v. Madison decision resulted in the making of judical review. -
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Supreme Court Case range
The most landmark Supreme Court Cases dated between 1803 and 1989. -
McCullouch v. Maryland
Maryland attempted to close the Baltimore branch of the national bank by passing a law that forced all banks that were created outside of the state to pay a yearly tax. James McCulloch, a branch employee, refused to pay the tax. The State of Maryland sued McCulloch saying that Maryland had the power to tax any business in its state and that the Constitution does not give Congress the power to create a national bank. The Supreme Court determined that Congress has implied powers that allow it to. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Slave Dred Scott was purchased in Missouri and then brought to Illinois, a free state. They later moved to present-day Minnesota where slavery had been recently prohibited, and then back to Missouri. When his owner died, Scott sued the widow claiming he was no longer a slave because he had become free after living in a free state. At a time when the country was in deep conflict over slavery, the Supreme Court decided that Dred Scott was not a “citizen of the state" and not a free man. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy was arrested and convicted of violating the Separate Car Act in Louisiana on a train from the basis of his 1/8 black roots. He and a group of black citizens argued that it was in violation of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth ammendments. The supreme court ruled in favor of Ferguson because they believed the separate but equal doctrine was constitutional. The court ruling became the backbone jim crow all over the south. -
Korematsu v. U.S.
Fred Korematsu, a Japanese American, was arrested and convicted of violating an executive order. He challenged his conviction in the courts saying that they didn't have the power to intern him because he was japanese. The supreme court sided federally and security topped individual rights. -
Brown v. Board of Education(Topeka, Kansas)
The supreme court said that segregation of schools was unconstitutional. They overturned Plessy v. Ferguson stating that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." As a result, racial segregation was ruled a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. -
Mapp v. Ohio
This was about criminal procedure, in which the Supreme Court declared that evidence found in violation of the 4th Amendment, which protects against "unreasonable searches and seizures," may not be used. -
Gideon v. Wainwright
In the case, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that state courts are required under the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution to provide counsel in criminal cases for defendants who are unable to afford their own attorneys. -
Miranda v. Arizona
Ernesto Miranda was arrested, but police officers did not inform him of his Fifth or his Sixth Amendment right. He confessed but his attorney later argued that his confession should have been excluded from trial. The Supreme Court said yes because they didn't follow procedure. -
Tinker v. Des Moines
John and Mary Beth Tinker wore black armbands to their public school as a protest against American involvement in the Vietnam War. When school authorities asked that they remove their armbands, they said no and got suspended. The Supreme Court decided that the Tinkers were okay to have the armbands. The summary statement as follows: no one expects students to “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at school" -
Roe v. Wade
Texas law illegalized the abortion of a fetus unless “on medical advice for the purpose of saving the life of the mother.” Roe filed suit against Wade. He was the D.A. He said that it violated the guarantee of personal liberty and the right to privacy clearly provided in the 1st, 4th, 9th, and 14th Amendments. The Supreme Court invalidated any state laws that prohibited first trimester abortions. -
New Jersey v. T.L.O.
A New Jersey high school student was searched at school for cigarettes. They found marijuana and other stuff that suggested trafikking of illegal substances. The student tried to say the evidence from her purse shouldn't count. She said that possession of cigarettes wasn't illegal; therefore, a desire for evidence of smoking in the restroom did not justify the search. The court stated that the search was consitutional and did not violate her rights. -
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier
Robert Reynolds procedurally reviewed the student newspaper, before publication. In May 1983, he decided to have certain pages pulled and removed them in order to meet the paper’s publication deadline. The students felt that this was a direct violation of their 1st Amendment rights. The Supreme Court declared that Principal Reynolds had "legitimate pedagogical concerns." -
Texas v. Johnson
Gregory Lee Johnson took an American flag and set it on fire. No one was hurt but some witnesses said they got offended. Johnson was charged and convicted with the desecration of a venerated object. In a split decision, the Supreme Court determined Johnson’s actions as symbolic speech which is protected by the 1st ammendment.
