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Marbury v.Madison
This supreme court case had the ruling that William Marbury should not get the job as Justice of the Peace of Columbia, a job he was appointed to by John Adams. Marbury sued James Madison, Jefferson's secretary of state, for his commison, but the lawsuit was dismissed. The supreme court also ruled that the Supreme Court alone had the last word on the question of constiutionality, giving the Supreme Court their tremendous power on American life. -
Fletcher v. Peck
Georgia’s Yazoo Land Act sold land to four private speculators, which were approved for bribes. As a result of public outcry, Georgia repealed the act. John Peck had purchased land that had been sold under the act, which had then been sold to Robert Fletcher. Fletcher brought Peck to court, saying that Peck did not have a title when he sold the land. The Supreme Court ruled law unconstitutional. This is an important court case because it was the first time a state law was ruled unconstitutional. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
Congress chartered The Second Bank of the United States. In 1818, the state of Maryland passed legislation to impose taxes on the bank. James W. McCulloch, the cashier of the Baltimore branch of the bank, refused to pay the tax. 7 votes for McCulloch, 0 votes against -
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
Unanimous Supreme Court decision that ruled that “separate but equal” public schools for black students and white students were unconstitutional. Brown v. Board of Ed overturned the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case, which stated that state-sponsored segregation was legal. De jure racial segregation became a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. This court case was a huge step for the civil rights movement, for desegregation and the integration of blacks and whites, especially in schools. -
Brown Vs Board of education
Black children were denied admission to public schools attended by white children under laws requiring or permitting segregation according to the races. The white and black schools approached equality in terms of buildings, curricula, qualifications, and teacher salaries. This case was decided together with Briggs v. Elliott and Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County.9 votes for Brown, 0 votes against. -
Cooper v. Aaron
The Governor and the Legislature of Arkansas openly resisted the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. They refused to obey court orders designed to implement school desegregation. Local officials delayed plans to do away with segregated public facilities.9 votes for Aaron, 0 votes against -
Mapp v. Ohio
Dollree Mapp was convicted of possessing obscene materials after an admittedly illegal police search of her home for a fugitive. She appealed her conviction on the basis of freedom of expression. 6 votes for Mapp, 3 votes against -
Engel v. Vitale
Engel v. Vitale was a challenge to the practice of prayer in public schools, on the grounds that the prayer violated some students religious traditions. The US Supreme Court held that the state of New York could not authorize or mandate public school prayer because the practice violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. This decision ruled prayer in public schools unconstitutional. -
Gideon v. Wainwright
Gideon was charged in a Florida state court with a felony for breaking and entering. He lacked funds and was unable to hire a lawyer to prepare his defense. When he requested the court to appoint an attorney for him, the court refused, stating that it was only obligated to appoint counsel to indigent defendants in capital cases. Gideon defended himself in the trial; he was convicted by a jury and the court sentenced him to five years in a state prison 9 votes for Gideon, 0 votes against -
Tinker v. Des Moines
In 1965, John Tinker, his sister Mary Beth, and a friend were sent home from school for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. The school had established a policy permitting students to wear several political symbols, but had excluded the wearing of armbands protesting the Vietnam War. Their fathers sued, but the District Court ruled that the school had not violated the Constitution. and the Tinkers appealed to the Supreme Court.In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court ruled for Tinkers. -
Miranda v. Arizona
The Court held that prosecutors couldn't use statements stemming from custodial interrogation of defendants unless they show the use of procedural safeguards "effective to secure the privilege against self- incrimination." The Court noted that "the modern practice of in-custody interrogation is psychologically rather than physically oriented" and "the blood of the accused is not the only hallmark of an unconstitutional inquisition." people now must be read their miranda rights.5 votes 4 against -
U.S v. Nixon
A grand jury returned indictments against seven of President Richard Nixon's closest aides in the Watergate affair. The special prosecutor appointed by Nixon and the defendants sought audio tapes of conversations recorded by Nixon in the Oval Office. Nixon asserted that he was immune from the subpoena claiming "executive privilege," which is the right to withhold information from other government branches to preserve confidential communications within the executive branch or to secure the nation -
Goss v. Lopez
Nine students at two high schools and one junior high school in Columbus, Ohio, were given 10-day suspensions from school. The principals did not hold hearings for the affected students before ordering the suspensions, and Ohio law did not require them to do so. The principals' actions were challenged, and a federal court found that the students' rights had been violated. The case was appealed to Supreme Court. 5 votes for Lopez, 4 votes against. Lopez won. -
Irving ISD v. Tatro
legal case involving a young 8 year old girl who was in need of CIC (clean intermittent catheterisation) during school hours due to her spina bifida. The school refused and the case was taken all the way to the supreme court. The court ruled that the school must provide these services under the special education laws that require related services to be given to a child when these services are needed for the child to get a free, appropriate public education -
New Jersey v. T.L.O.
T.L.O. was a fourteen-year-old; she was accused of smoking in the girls' bathroom of her high school. A principal at the school questioned her and searched her purse, yielding a bag of marijuana and other drugs. The rolling papers in the purse gave rise to a reasonable suspicion in the principal's mind that she may have been carrying drugs, thus, justifying a more thorough search of the purse. 6 votes for New Jersey, 3 votes against. -
Terry v. Ohio
Terry and two other men were observed by a plain clothes policeman in what the officer believed to be "casing a job, a stick-up." The officer stopped and frisked the three men, and found weapons on two of them. Terry was convicted of carrying a concealed weapon and sentenced to three years in jail 8 votes for Ohio, 1 votes against -
Bethel school distrect v. Fraser
At a school assembly of 600 high school students, Matthew Fraser made a speech nominating a fellow student for elective office. In his speech, Fraser used what some observers believed was a graphic sexual metaphor to promote the candidacy of his friend. As part of its disciplinary code, Bethel High School enforced a rule prohibiting conduct which "substantially interferes with the educational process including the use of obscene, profane language or gestures." Fraser was suspended for 2 days. -
hazelwood v. kuhlmeier
The Spectrum, the school-sponsored newspaper of Hazelwood East High School, was written and edited by students. In May 1983, Robert E. Reynolds, the school principal, received the pages proofs for the May 13 issue. Reynolds found two of the articles to be inappropriate, and ordered that the pages on which the articles appeared be withheld from publication. Cathy Kuhlmeier and two former Hazelwood East students brought the case to court.5 votes for Hazelwood School District, 3 votes against. -
Texas v. Jhonson
In 1984, in front of the Dallas City Hall, Gregory Lee Johnson burned an American flag as a means of protest against Reagan administration policies. Johnson was tried and convicted under a Texas law outlawing flag desecration. He was sentenced to one year in jail and assessed a $2,000 fine. After the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the conviction, the case went to the Supreme Court -
Santa fe ISD v. Doe
Prior to 1995, a student elected as Santa Fe High School's student council chaplain delivered a prayer, described as overtly Christian, over the public address system before each home varsity football game. One Mormon and one Catholic family filed suit challenging this practice and others under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
