Supreme Court Cases

West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette

Jun 14, 1943

1. In a public school teachers made in mandatory to salute the flag, and some students refused.
2. The court ruled it was unconstitutional to make mandatory to salute the flag.
3. The court ruled that it was against their freedom of religion.
4. The importance of this is that it shows it is not mandatory to salute your country's flag.

mapp v ohio

Jun 19, 1961

1. Dollree Mapp was convicted of possessing obscene materials after an admittedly illegal police search of her home for a fugitive.
2. The court ruled that the conviction was unconstitutional.
3. The court reveled that you can not disobey the 4th amendment to get evidence for a case.
4. This is important because this established a law to prevent this from happening again.

Engel v. Vitale

Jun 25, 1962

1. Regents from New York would have a short prayer before each school day and people said that it challenged their first amendment right of religion.
2. The court decided that instructing prayer was unconstitutional and was not allowed.
3. It violated the establishment clause
4. The importance is that it banned public schools from instructing prayer in school.

Gideon v Wainwright

Mar 18, 1963

1. Clarence Gideon was charged for a felony for breaking and entering and ever got a lawyer so he represented himself in court.
2. The court decided that this was unconstitutional
3. They are supposed to appoint a lawyer for someone who can not afford one.
4. This established the 14th amendment to make sure someone will aways have a lawyer in court.

NY Times V Sullivan

Mar 9, 1964

1. During the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, the New York Times published an ad for contributing donations to defend Martin Luther King, Jr., on perjury charges. The ad contained several minor factual inaccuracies.
2. The court ruled for the times and said that the statements were not proven false.
3. The first amendment gives press the right to free speech.
4. This is important because it shows the weak power back then.

Griswold v Connecticut

Jun 7, 1965

1. Connectcut passed a law banning the use of any drug, medical device, or other instrument in furthering contraception.
2. The court decided that it was illegal for conneicut to pass this law.
3. The 14th amendment states that couples have the right to privacy.
4. This is important because it allows couples to further contraception.

Miranda v Arizona

Jun 13, 1966

1. Ernesto Miranda was found guilty after not being read his rights
2. The court ruled the trial was fair and constitutional.
3. The court ruled that his rights were not violated because he did not request counsel.
4. This is important because it showed how his rights were violated but was constitutional.

Loving v Virginia

Jun 12, 1967

1. A black women and white man who were married in the district of Columbia returned to Virginia and were arrested.
2. The court overturned the arrest and decided that it was unconstitutional.
3. Under 14th amendment Virginia had no right arresting them for an inter-racial marriage.
4. This is important because it shows the injustice back then

Tinker v Des Moines

Feb 24, 1969

1. Two students wore armbands to school to protest the Vietnam war and the school suspended them.
2. Court ruled that what the school did was constitutional.
3. The court said that the armbands were a distraction to other students so the school was allowed to suspend them.
4. The importance of this was that it showed that the first amendment isnt as strong as we think.

brandenburg v ohio

Jun 9, 1969

1. A leader of the KKK gave a speech and was then arrested.
2. The court decided that ohio violated his first amendment right to free speech.
3. The court stated that ohio violated his rights to free speech and that giving a presentation was not illegal. 4.This is important because it shows that there was no problem with the KKK itself.

Lemon v. Kurtzman

Jun 28, 1971

1. Pennsylvania and Rhode Island adopted statues that provided funding for non-public elementary and secondary schools.
2. The court decided the statutes were unconstitutional.
3. The reasoning was excessive entanglement of state and church
4. The importance of the case is that it established the "Lemon Test"

NY Times v US

Jun 30, 1971

1. The nixon administrtion prevented the new york times from publishing a article containing top secret evidence.
2. The court ruled that this violated the first amendment.
3. The Nixon adminstration did not have the right to prevent this
4. This is important because it shows the preident doesnt have full power.

Furman v Georgia

Jun 29, 1972

1. A man broke into a house and then while trying to flee a gun fell out of his pocket and killed somebody, and then recieved the death penalty.
2. The court ruled this unconstitutional.'
3. The court decided this was cruel and unfair punishment.
4. The importance of this is that it makes the death penalty only be used in extreme cases.

Roe V Wade

Jan 22, 1973

1. Jane Roe appointed a texas attorny for abortion rights.
2. The court ruled that abortion was legal.
3. Women have the privacy to their own decisions
4. This is important because abortion is a very contrversial topic and roe v wade just recently got overturned.

Gregg v. Georgia

Jul 2, 1976

1. Gregg was committed armed robbery and murder, he was then sentenced to the death penalty.
2. The court ruled that this was not cruel punishment.
3. The court stated this does challenege the 5th amendment right.
4. This is important because it allows the government to use the death penalty in extreme cases.

New Jersey v TLO

Jan 15, 1985

1. A high school student was searched for cigarettes but then was found with marijuana.
2. The court ruled that the search was reasonable for the circumstances. 3.The court stated that schools may preform warrentlessness searches.
3. This is important because that gives schools power to search someone even without a warrant.

Texas v Johnson

Jun 21, 1989

1. Gregory Johnson burned a flag to protest Reagans administration
2. The court ruled that this was constitutional and Johnson had the right to burn the flag.
3. It was protected under the first amendment that is freedom of speech.
4. This is important because it prohibits the government to prohibit burning a flag.

Employment Division v. Smith

Apr 17, 1990

1. A church group uses drugs for religious purposes and got in trouble for using them.
2. The court ruled that their freedom of religion excuses them following state laws.
3. This is protected by freedom of religion under the first amendment.
4. This is important because it shows you can basically commit rime if it is your religion.

Church of Lukumi Babalu v Hialeah

Jun 11, 1993

1. A church held animal sacrifices for their religious beliefs
2. The court decided that the killing and eating of animals was unconstitutional.
3. The court said that it was not necessary for the church to kill and eat animals.
4. The importance of this case is that animal cruelty is not constitutional.

Morse v Frederick

Jun 25, 2007

1. At a school-supervised event, Joseph Frederick held up a banner with the message "Bong Hits 4 Jesus," a slang reference to marijuana smoking.
2. The court ruled that it was illegal to protest the right to illegal drugs.
3. The first amendment protect free speech but does protect the right to use illegal drugs.
4. This is important because it prohibits the the use of illegal drugs.

DC v Heller

Jun 26, 2008

1. Court case that challenged the second amendment right to carry a firearm.
2. The court decided it is legal to carry and have hold a firearm in your house.
3. The court stated that it violates your second amendment right if you take firearms away.
4. The importance of this is that it keeps firearms legal and able to carry.

McDonald v Chicago

Jun 28, 2010

1. A court case that challenged the heller v DC for the ban of firearms.
2. The court ruled that it was legal to use firearms in self defense
3. Banning firearms violates the second amendment and the court said the states can decide.
4. The importance of this is that it allows people to conceal carry and use a firearm in self defense.

Snyder v Phelps

Mar 2, 2011

1. The family of deceased Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder filed a lawsuit against members of the Westboro Baptist Church who picketed at his funeral.
2. The court ruled in favor of the church group.
3. Their speech and protest was justified under the first amendment right.
4. The importance of this is that it now allows people to protest funeral.

Obergefell v Hodges

Mar 26, 2015

1. Groups of same-sex couples sued their relevant state agencies in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee to challenge the constitutionality of those states' bans on same-sex marriage or refusal to recognize legal same-sex marriages that occurred in jurisdictions that provided for such marriages.
2. The court ruled that the same sex marriage was legal.
3. The 14th amendment states that same sex marriage is a protected right
4. This important because it allows the marriage of same sex.

mahaney area school district v B.L.

Jun 23, 2021

1. A school cheerleader was cut from the varsity cheer team and posted vulgar language on snapchat when she was home and she was suspended.
2. The court issued this was unconstitutional.
3. The court said that this violated the first amendment.
4. The importance is that it shows that schools cannot suspend you for things outside of school.