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Creation of the Supreme Court
Information on the creation of the Supreme Court was under Article 3 of the Constitution of the United States of America. The Supreme Court interprets the laws of the country. Significance: The creation of the Supreme Court indicates the formation of the court itself; the birth of the court. This is why this event is so significant. -
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John Jay
John Jay was nominated by Washington and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate to be the Chief Justice on the same day the Judiciary Act of 1789 was signed.
Significance: John Jay was the first Chief Justice of the United States and a Founding Father. -
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John Marshall
John Marshall was a major Chief Justice of the United States. Significance: His rulings helped establish the structure of American constitutional law and the U.S. Supreme Court. -
Marbury v. Madison
President Jefferson wanted to block the Federalist appointments made by John Adams. To do this, he ordered Secretary of State James Madison to not deliver the commissions that John Adams had appointed. Angered by this, William Marbury sued for his comission. Significance: This was the first major case to be decided by Chief Justice John Marshall, and also put Marshall in direct conflict with his cousin, President Jefferson. -
Fletcher v. Peck
This involved a dispute between John Peck and Robert Fletcher over land fraud in Georgia. Marshall ruled that a state could not pass legislation invalidating a contract, thus declaring the state law unconstitutional.
Significance: This was the first time the Supreme Court declared a state law to be unconstitutional and invalid. -
Dartmouth College v. Woodward
The New Hampshire legislature attempted to change Dartmouth College from a privately funded institution to a state university.
Significance: This was the first case to claim that "contract" involved individual property rights instead of the political relationship between the government and its citizens. -
McCullough v. Maryland
Maryland tried to slow down the operation of a branch of the Second Bank of the United States by taxing all notes of banks not chartered in Maryland.
Significance: This case pointed out that the Constitution grants Congress implied powers, and state action can't affect valid constitutional actions of power, -
Gibbons v. Ogden
New York gave Aaron Ogden rights to operate steamboat ferries between New Jersey and New York City on the Hudson River. Thomas Gibbons, another steamboat operator, however, ran two ferries along the same route. Ogden basically told Gibbons that he had the right to operate the route now, creating conflict and a future Supreme Court case. Significance: In this case, the Court interpreted the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution for the first time. -
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
The Cherokee nation had appealed against the state of Georiga for taking and using the land the U.S. had granted them for its own purposes.
Significance: The decision of this case became the Native American nation's most powerful weapon to use when involved in political affairs over their own tribal control. -
Worcester v. Georgia
This case involved Samuel Worcester, a man who actually opposed Cherokee removal and was arrested by the state of Georgia, which had passed a law that forced non-Native Americans present on Native American land to purchase a license.
Significance: This laid out the relationships between the tribes and the government of the U.S., which influenced the construction of the tribal sovereignty doctrine. -
Commonwealth v. Hunt
The Boston Journeymen Bootmakers' Society demanded that an employer must fire one of its members if that member disobeyed the society's rules. Although the employer followed through with this rule, the person who was fired complained to an attorney, and the case eventually got to Chief Justice Shaw. Shaw then ruled in favor of the labor unions, claiming that "criminal conspiracy" did not apply to them.
Significance: Legalization of the American labor union movement. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott had attempted to purchase his and his family's freedom. However, Eliza Irene Emerson, the wife of his former master (who had died), refused. Because of this, Scott sued for his freedom, but did not win.
Significance: One of the most immediate consequence of this case was triggering the Panic of 1857, which primarily involved the collapse of the east-west railroads. -
Golan et al v. Holder et al
In 1994, Congress restored copyright protection to a large body of foreign works that were in public domain. After this, however, a large group of conductors and educators sued, claiming that the law violated their freedom of expression under the First Amendment. Significance: This case affected millions of copyright work.
