Timeline of Landmark Legislation

  • Brown v. Board of Education

    Brown v. Board of Education
    The judgment in Brown v. Board of Education by the United States Supreme Court represented a watershed moment in the country's history of racial relations. On May 17, 1954, the Court removed constitutional consequences for racial segregation in school and declared equal chance the rule of the country.
  • Title IX

    Title IX
    Title IX was passed as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The 1964 Act was enacted to prohibit job discrimination and public accommodations based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
  • Miranda v. Arizona

    Miranda v. Arizona
    Patricia McGee (not her actual name) was kidnapped and raped while going home from work in Phoenix, Arizona on March 2, 1963. After selecting Ernesto Miranda from a lineup, she accused him of the crime. He was detained and transferred to an interrogation room, where he signed a written confession to the crimes after three hours.
  • Tinker v. Des Moines

    Tinker v. Des Moines
    Tinker v. Des Moines is a landmark Supreme Court decision from 1969 that established students' rights to free expression in public schools. In December 1965, Mary Beth Tinker was a 13-year-old junior high school student when she and a group of kids decided to wear black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War.
  • U.S. v. Nixon

    U.S. v. Nixon
    Nixon v. United States United States v. Nixon, 418 U.S. 683 (1974), was a historic case decided by the United States Supreme Court that ordered President Richard Nixon to submit tape recordings and other subpoenaed evidence to a federal district court.
  • Education for All Handicapped Children Act

    Education for All Handicapped Children Act
    The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (also known as EAHCA or EHA, or Public Law 94-142) was passed by the United States Congress in 1975. This legislation requires all public schools that receive federal monies to give equitable access to education as well as one free meal per day to students with physical and mental challenges.
  • Bethel School District #43 v. Fraser

    Bethel School District #43 v. Fraser
    The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (often abbreviated as EAHCA or EHA, or Public Law 94-142) was passed by the United States Congress in 1975. This legislation requires all public schools that receive federal money to give equal access to education and one free meal per day to students with physical and mental impairments.
  • Texas v. Johnson

    Texas v. Johnson
    Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989), was a historic decision by the United States Supreme Court that overturned bans on desecration of the American flag, which were in effect in 48 of the 50 states at the time. Justice William Brennan wrote for a five-judge majority, concluding that defendant Gregory Lee Johnson's flag burning was free speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Attorneys David D. Cole and William Kunstler represented Johnson.
  • Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe

    Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe
    Santa Fe Independent School Dist. v. Doe, 530 U.S. 290 (2000), was a case considered by the United States Supreme Court. It found that a policy allowing student-led, student-initiated prayer during high school football games violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. Oral arguments were heard on March 29, 2000.
  • Zelman v. Simmons-Harris

    Zelman v. Simmons-Harris
    Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, 536 U.S. 639 (2002), was a 5–4 decision of the United States Supreme Court that affirmed a school voucher program in Ohio. Even though the vouchers might be utilized for private, religious institutions, the Court concluded that the scheme did not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
  • Board of Education of Independent School District #92 of Pottawatomie County v. Earls

    Board of Education of Independent School District #92 of Pottawatomie County v. Earls
    Earls v. Board of Education of Pottawatomie County Independent School District No. 92 United States Supreme Court 536 U.S. 822 (2002) 1:15 Facts The Board of Education of Pottawatomie County Independent School District No. 92 (District) (defendant) implemented a drug testing policy for all students engaging in extracurricular activities.
  • Roper v. Simmons

    Roper v. Simmons
    Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005), was a historic case in which the United States Supreme Court ruled that death punishment for offenses committed while under the age of 18 is unconstitutional. The 5–4 ruling reversed Stanford v. Kentucky, in which the court affirmed the death penalty for criminals above the age of 16, and repealed legislation in 25 states.