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Marbury v. Madison
This case occured because President Adams, hours before his term eneded, appointed several justices. James Madison refused to deliver documents varifying that Marbury, one of the new justices, was indeed a new justice. Marbury petitioned the supreme court to force the diliver of the documents. Supreme court justice John Marshall ruled in favor of Madison but in doing so set a precident that said the supreme court could decide what laws were constitutional and which were not. -
Fletcher v. Peck
In this case Peck sold Fletcher a parcel of land. Fletcher sued Peck stating that he did not have the full rights to the land when it was sold to him and instead Indians had some rights to the land. He did this so that the court would rule in favor of Peck and state that indians did not have rights to these lands because a state law said all transactions of this land was illegal. The courts did such and this marked the first time the supremecourt found a state law unconstitutional. -
Cohens v. Virginia
The Chohens brothers were convicted for selling lottery tickets in Virgina for a DC lottery when laws stated lotterys could only exist in DC. They appealed their conviction to the supreme court and the court upheld their conviction. In doing do there was a principle set that the supreme court could rule in criminal cases. -
Dartmouth College v. Woodward
In this case Dartmouth college was being forced by new hampshire legislature to become a public college. The Court upheld the sanctity of the original charter of the school. This settled the nature of public versus private charters and opened the door for american buissness. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
In this case Maryland state government tried to tax currency from out of state which at this time was currency issued by the US bank. The supreme court decided this was unconstitutional. This case established two principles. The constitution grants congress implied powers in order to maintain a functional national government, and state government may not impead actions by the federal government. -
Gibbons v. Ogden
In this case State legislature and Congress both gave different men exclusive rights to navigate on cirtan waters. The court ruled in favor of Gibbons who had the rights given by congress effectively stating congress had the power to regulate interstate commerce. -
Worcester v. Georgia
Brought to court by Worcester, a missionary who was evicted from Cherokee land, argued whether states (such as Georgia) had the right to enact laws regarding perviously ruled "soverign" Native American Nations. Chief Justice Marshell ruled that individual states did not have the authority to pass ruling power of Native Nations, however the Federal government did. -
Commonwealth v. Hunt
This case was a landmark case involving labor unions in the US. Before this case labor unions that attempted to create a unionized work place could be charged with conspiracy. This case found that labor unions were legal and so was an organized strike. This case overrulled Commonwealth v. Pullis. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
In this case Dred Scott a slave was suing his owner for not allowing him to buy his own freedom. The court rulled that slaves and people decended from them were not protected by the constitution and were not citizens and therefore could not file suits. The court also rulled that slaves, as property, could not be taken away from their owners without due process. -
US v. Reese
A case about voting rights where things such as the pool tax, grandfather clause, and literacy test were decided to be legal -
Munn v. Illinois
This case allowed state government to regulate cirtan buissnusses such as railroads. This was helpful to the farmers because they could get their states csuch as illinois) to lower rates on things like railroads or grain elevators. -
Ex Parte Milligan
An Ohio man, Milligan, and several accomplicies were caught in the process of conspiring to liberate Confederate prisoners in Indiana and then to overthrow the Indiana state government. Milligan was then brought to face a military tribunial where his fate would be decided by Union military judges. It was ruled that he would executed. Milligan appealed the ruling to the Supreme court where it was declared unconstiutional for citizens to face military tribunial. -
Wabash v Illinois
A case where states rights to control commerce was severly limited. This case hurt farmers and basically reversed the aid munn v illinois to farmers gave to farmers. -
US v. E.C. Knight Co.
the Sugar trust case was of using a loophole in the sherman anti trust act to get around regulation of monopolies. The decision was made because the company did not manufacture the sugar they instead refined it. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
case where segregation was found to be constitutional as long as it was seperate but equal -
Lochner v. New York
An original discussion that bakers health should be protected by limiting laborers to a 10 hour work day was discouraged by a close vote (5-4) deeming that any interference with establishing such laws would violate contract laws with employers. -
Muller v. Oregon
Argued that women were weaker and deserved special protection in a working enviroment in interest of preserving women's health as they were believed to be the weaker sex. -
Schenck v. US
This was a Supreme Court case that deemed the defendant not having the first amendment's freedom of speech by violating the Espionage Act of 1917 by speaking out against the U.S. World War One draft. An important factor that resrticted the freedom of speech in this case was that Schenck's violation presented "clear and present danger". -
Adkins v. Children's Hospital
Adkins v. Children's Hospital was a supremecourt case dealing with minimum wage for women. The case decided that a required minimum wage was unconstitutional on the grounds that it violated the fith amendment in that it abridged a citizen's right to freely contract labor. The case was Childern's hospital suing against the wages board. -
Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States
This case invalidated some regulations on the poultry corp. that were found to be unconstituional. More importantly this case ruled that the National Industrial RecoveryAct, a major part of Roosevelt's New Deal, was unconstitutional. -
Korematsu v. US
This supreme court case decided that the treatment of Japanese Americans during world war tw, japanese internment camps, were constitutional. It stated that it was constitutional because the protection of the US from espionage in war times is more importnat than individual rights. -
Dennis vs. United States
Eugene Dennis was the leader of the communist party USA and this case found that he did not have first amendment rights, such as free speach and freedom of assembly, if he was using his first amendment rights to overthrow or promote the overthrowing of the United States government. -
Brown vs. Board of Ed.
This landmark supreme court case overturned the supreme court case of plessy vs. ferguson which delcared schools could be seperate as long as they were equal. This case essentially decided that it was no longer legal to segregate public schools or have seperate black and white public schools. The case found that seperate schools were inherently unequal and white public shools were very often better. This case was a major victory for the civil rights movement. -
Engel v. Vitale
This supreme court case held that it is illegal for state officials to create a school prayer and have the students recite it in school. This court case was decided this way because the constitution states there should be seperation of chuch and state. -
Gideon v. Wainwright
This supreme court case stated that state courts are required to provide defendants attorneys if the defendants cannot afford one themselves. This gave every american citizen better protection and provented wrongful convictions. -
Abington School District v. Schempp
This supreme court case held that bible reading in schools is unconstitutional seeing as the constitution states there should be seperation of curch and state. The cort ruled in favor of Schempp a father of a student who was forced to learn form the bible at school. -
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan
This court case held that actual malice must be proven in cases regarding slander or liable. Actual malice is the one stating the slander or laible must know what they are publishing is not the truth and in fact a lie. This case upheld rights of free speach and publication. -
Escobedo v. Illinois
This supreme court case declared that all suspects ina criminal investigation have a right to councel under the 6th amendment to the United States constitution. -
Griswold v. Connecticut
This case rulled that the constitution protected an american's right to privacy. This court case eliminated a state law that prohibited the use of contraceptives even among copules who were married. -
Miranda v. Arizona
This supreme court case held that statements made by the defendant in interrogation and after arrest could be used against the defendant in trial so long as the defendant was read his right to self incrimination and right to an attorney. -
Griggs v. Duke Power Co.
This case was considered the first case that dealt with discrimination in the workplace. The case found that Duke Power Co. criteria for highering employees had nothing to do with how well they would preform theri job and the company was actually, unintentionaly, discriminating against black employees. -
Roe v. Wade
This contreversial supreme court case held that the right to privacy found in the 14th amendement extends to a woman's right to have an abortion. This right must also be balenced with a the states intrests in regulationg abortion which are protecting pre natal life and protecting the mother's health. This case essntially states abortions are legal.
