Supreme Court Cases

By Jnieden

  • Jay Court 1.Chisholm v. Georgia

    1. The executor of the estate of Robert Farquhar, attempted to sue the state of Georgia in the Supreme Court over payments due to him for goods that Farquhar had supplied Georgia during the American Revolutionary War. case the Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff
    2. America had just recently gained independence and the judicial branch was in its infancy.
    4.First “major” case
    Federal jurisdiction over suits vs. states
    State sovereign immunity
    Led to Eleventh Amendment

  • Jay 2. Hollingsworth v. Virginia

    2.The Court decided unanimously that the Eleventh Amendment had been validly adopted. The Court also decided in Hollingsworth that it had no jurisdiction in the case, even though the case had arisen prior to ratification of the Eleventh Amendment.
    1. The Amendement was not even given to the president to look at because not many people liked him especially after the alien and sedition acts 4.Ratification of Eleventh Amendment Presidential approval is unnecessary for Constitutional amendment

  • Marshall 1.Marbury v. Madison

    2.Marbury had the right to his commission but the court did not have the power to force Madison to deliver the commission
    1. The judicial branch had not established its real authority yet.
      Adams had appointed his "midnight" judges which sparked this case
    2. Solidified the United States' system of checks and balances and gave the judicial branch equal power with the executive and legislative branches.

  • Marshall 2. McCulloch v. Maryland

    2.The Court determined that Congress did have the power to create the Bank.
    1. Parties for or against the creation of the national bank were in constant conflict.
    4.Reinforced the doctrine of implied powers
    Gave approval of the bank which would continue to be a center of strife for years

  • Taney 2. Prigg v. Pennsylvania

    2.The court held that the Federal Fugitive Slave Act precluded a Pennsylvania state law that prohibited blacks from being taken out of Pennsylvania into slavery, and overturned the conviction of Edward Prigg as a result.
    1. Slavery was the dominant political issue of the time and the fugitive slave act was very controversial, generating wide dissproval from northerners
    4.The controversial Furgitve Slave Act was upheld and northerners were enraged elevating tension

  • Taney 1.Dred Scott v. Sandford

    2.Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in federal territories because slaves are personal property and the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution protects property owners against deprivation of their property without due process of law.
    1. Slavery was a huge issue during this time period espcially the dispute over its legality in territories
    4.Distorted people into property
    Did not clarify the definition of Citizenship

  • Chase 1.Ex parte Milligan

    2.Ruled that the application of military tribunals to citizens when civilian courts are still operating is unconstitutional. 3.. It was also controversial because it was one of the first cases after the end of the American Civil War. 4.Clarified the scope of military jurisdiction under the Constitution

  • Chase 2.Texas v. White

    1. The court ruled that Texas had remained a state ever since it first joined the Union, despite its joining the Confederate States of America
    3.After the Civil war ended cases like this were being brought up in many other southern states
    1. State succession was quickyl found unconstitutional in every case

  • Waite 1. Reynolds v. United States

    2.The Court affirmed Reynold's conviction unanimously.
    1. The mormons a recently founded religion had been violating the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act
    2. Displayed that the First Amendment right of freedom of religion could only extend so far
      The ploygamy ban was upheld

  • Waite 2. Elk v. Wilkins

    1. Excluded Native Americans from Citizenship
    2. Americans were pushing and oppressing Native Americans like always
    3. Excluded Native Americans from Citizenship until the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924

  • Fuller 1. Plessy v. Ferguson

    2.Upheld the constitutionality of state laws requiring racial segregation in public facilities under the doctrine of "separate but equal"
    1. After the Civil war ended southern people could not accept integration and formed a new from of discrimination, segregation.
    4, Enforced "seperate but equal" segregation which would continue for years to come

  • Fuller 2. Berea College v. Kentucky

    2.The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state
    1. Segregation was a huge issue post-Civil war and many cases were centered around its constitutionality
    4.Reinforced state laws and segregation of educational facilties

  • White 1. Newberry v. United States

    2.United States Constitution did not grant the United States Congress the authority to regulate political party primaries or nomination processes.
    1. Newberry was vs Henry Ford in the primaries who used his connections to bring Newberry under investigation
    4.Congress cannot regulate primary elections

  • White 2. Dillon v. Gloss

    1. Dillon was arrested and convicted
    2. The Eighteenth Amendment was a culmination of the temperrence movement in the United States at the time
    4.Congress when proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States desires to place a deadline on that particular constitutional amendment's ratification they may

  • Taft 1.Leser v. Garnett

    1. Supreme Court of the United States held that the Nineteenth Amendment had been constitutionally established
    2. The Woman's suffrage and rights movement was a major issue
    3. Upheld the Nineteenth Amendment, Women's right to vote

  • Taft 2.Pocket Veto Case

    2.The pocket veto utilized by President Coolidge was constitutional and valid
    1. Coolridge vetoed a total of 50 bills 30 of which were pocket vetoes during his presidency, obviously Congress was not happy
    2. The pocket veto was upheld

  • Hughes 1. United States v. Sprague

    2.The Constitution explicitly authorized Congress to determine the method used in ratifying amendments
    1. In light of the Eighteenth Amendment many Americans were being arrested under the National Prohibition Act, many of these Americans defense was that the Eighteenth Amendment was not passed properly
    2. Enforced the Eighteenth Amendement

  • Hughes 2. Blockburger v. United States

    1. The defendant had violated both sections, thus he could be prosecuted separately under the two sections
    3.The defendant was charged with violations of the Harrison Narcotics Act specifically, he was indicted on five separate counts, each involving the sale of morphine to the same purchaser.
    1. Set the standard for Double Jeopardy

  • Stone 1. Prince v. Massachusetts

    2.The Supreme Court upheld Massachusetts' laws restricting the abilities of children to sell religious literature
    1. The enforcement of the fairly new child labour laws was the main aim of this case.
    2. Child labour laws were upheld and she was not alowed to sell religious literature

  • Stone 2.Cramer v. United States

    2.The Court decided five-to-four to overturn the jury verdict to convict Cramer
    1. During World War II when tensions were high and treason was a huge issue
    4.Conviction for treason must meet the definition given in Article III of the constitution.

  • Vinson 2.Terminiello v. Chicago

    2.Held that a "breach of peace" ordinance of the City of Chicago was unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.
    1. Terminiello was was giving a speech to the Christian Veterans of America in which he criticized various racial groups and made a number of inflammatory comments
    4.Upheld First Amendment rights even when making "inflammatory comments"

  • Vinson 1.Joseph Burstyn, Inc v. Wilson

    1. Provisions of the New York Education Law which allowed a censor to forbid the commercial showing of a motion picture film it deemed to be "sacrilegious" was a "restraint on freedom of speech" and thereby a violation of the First Amendment.
    2. Motion pictures were becoming the leading form of entertainment and communication and censorship was a controversial issue
    3. Marked the decline of motion picture censorship in the United States

  • Warren 1.Bolling v. Sharpe

    2.Held that school segregation was unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment
    1. This case was a precursor to the famous Brown v. Board of Education that also ruled in favor of the desegregation of schools
    2. Segregation was made illegal in the District of Columbia

  • Warren 2. Loving v. Virginia

    2.The Supreme Court's unanimous decision held that this prohibition of marriage was unconstitutional
    1. Segregation was being tested at every social level, eventually even marraige was made equal
    2. Ended all race-based legal restriction on marriage in the United States

  • Burger 1. Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education

    1. The Court ordered desegregation of schools in the American South.
    2. Althought the Brown v. Board of Education decision desegregated schools officially, southern schools were taking there time and as a result the ruling seemed to not have much affect.
    3. This ruling stated that any still segregated southern schools must desegregate immediately.

  • Burger 2.Cohen v. California

    2.The Court overturned a man's conviction for the crime of disturbing the peace for wearing a jacket that displayed the phrase, "Fuck the Draft."
    1. Major protest surrounded the vietnam war, many protestors like this one opposed a draft that made them serve in a war they did not believe the U.S should be fighting at all
    4.Prohibited states from making the public display of a single four-letter expletive a criminal offense

  • Rehnquist 1. Rust v. Sullivan

    2.Health and Human Services regulations prohibiting recipients of government funds from advocating, counseling, or referring patients for abortion do not violate statute, First Amendment, or Fourth or Fifth Amendment
    1. In the aftermath of Roe v. Wade many questions such as this were raised
    2. Family planning was promoted by the goverment

  • Rehnquist 2. United States v. Fordice

    1. The court ruled that more action needed to be taken to ensure integration
    2. Surprisingly segregation was still an issue
    3. Segregation was losing any foothold it had left

  • Roberts 2. Gonzales v. Oregon

    1. The court ruled in favor of Oregon
    2. In the aftermath of Roe v Wade the question of where to draw the line of life was displayed through cases such as this
    3. The Controlled Substances Act does not empower the Attorney General of the United States to prohibit doctors from prescribing regulated drugs for use in physician-assisted sucide

  • Roberts 1. Panetti v. Quarterman

    1. The court ruled in favor of Panetti who seemed to be suffering from "fragmented personality, delusions, and hallucinations"
    2. The question of whether or not mental disabilties should play a role in litigation is an important issue in todays day and age
    4.Criminal defendants sentenced to death may not be executed if they do not understand the reason for their imminent execution