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Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri who lived in Illinois, a free state, from 1833 to 1843. After returning to Missouri, he filed suit in Missouri court because he claimed he was a free man because of residence in free territory. The question asked, in this case, was ¨is Dred Scott a free man or a slave?¨ The decision was that Scott was not a citizen and could not sue in federal court. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
After Lousiana enacted the Separate Car Act, Homer Plessy, who was seven-eighths white, challenged the Act. Plessy sat in a ¨whites only¨ car of a Lousiana train and when he was told to leave the train, he refused and was arrested. The question asked during this case was ¨does the Separate Car Act violate the Fourteenth Amendment?¨ The decision was that segregation was not unlawful discrimination. -
Brown v. Board of Education
These cases were relating to the segregation of public schools. African Americans were denied admittance to certain public schools because of the Plessy v. Ferguson decision that ruled ¨separate but equal.¨ The question was ¨does segregation of public schools violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?¨ The decision was that ¨separate but equal¨ violates the Fourteenth Amendment. -
Mapp v. Ohio
This case involved a woman, Dollree Mapp, who was convicted of possession of obscene materials after an illegal police raid of her home. The question asked ¨were the confiscated materials protected from seizure by the Fourth Amendment?¨ The ruling was that unreasonable searches and seizures are prohibited. -
Gideon v. Wainwright
The question asked, in this case, was ¨does the Sixth Amendment's right to counsel in criminal cases extend to felony defendants in state courts?´ The court stated in this case that it was a fundamental right to have an attorney for a fair trial. -
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. US
The Heart of Atlanta Motel refused to accept African Americans and the government sought to enjoin the motel from discrimination based on race. The question asked was ¨did Congress, in passing Title II of the Civil Rights Act, exceed its Commerce Clause powers by depriving places of public accommodation of the right to choose their own customers?¨ The court decided that the government could enjoin the motel from discriminating on the basis of race under the Commerce Clause. -
Miranda v. Arizona
The question asked during this case was ¨does the Fifth Amendment’s protection against self-incrimination extend to the police interrogation of a suspect?¨ The Supreme Court ruled that the Fifth Amendment requires law enforcement officials to advise suspects of their right to remain silent and to obtain an attorney during interrogations while in police custody. -
Loving v. Virginia
Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving, an interracial married couple in Virginia, were charged with violating the state's antimiscegenation statute. They were found guilty and were sentenced to a year in jail. The question that was asked during this was ¨did Virginia's antimiscegenation law violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?" The Supreme Court ended the prohibitions on interracial marriage. -
Roe v. Wade
Jane Roe filed a lawsuit against Henry Wade the district attorney of Dallas County, Texas, challenging a Texas law making abortion illegal except by a doctor’s orders to save a woman’s life. The question was ¨Does the Constitution recognize a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy by abortion?¨ The Court ruled that the Constitution protects a pregnant woman's choice to have an abortion without government restriction. -
Texas v. Johnson
This case asked the question ¨is the desecration of an American flag, by burning or otherwise, a form of speech that is protected under the First Amendment?¨ The Court ruled that any symbolic speech is protected under the First Amendment.
