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Marbury v. Madison
Before John Adams left office, he appointed William Marbury to be a judge. Thomas Jefferson, the new President, told his Secretary of State, James Madison, to not deliever documents allowing Marbury to be a judge. Marbury then sued Madison. John Marshall, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, ruled that the court could not force Madison to deliver the documents and established judical review, which allows the Supreme Court to say whether or not a law is constitutional. -
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Landmark Supreme Court Cases
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McCullcoh v. Maryland
The Supreme Court ruled that the United States Congress had the power to create a national bank under Article one, section 8, clause 18, better known as the Necessary and Proper Clause. This meant that Maryland could not tax the national bank, which it had attempted to do earlier. -
Gibbons v. Ogden
Two men, Thomas Gibbons and Aaron Ogden, both ran steamboats between New York and New Jersey. Ogden wanted Gibbons to stop using the same route as him, so Ogden sued Gibbons. The Supreme Court ruled that Congress, not the State, had the power to regulate interstate commerce based on the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott, a slave, sued his former owner's widow claiming that he was a free man since he had lived in a state that prohibited slavery. The Supreme Court ruled that because slaves were not considered citizens, they could not sue, therefore, Scott was still considered a slave. Dred Scott v. Sandford also ruled the Missouri Compromise, which allowed some states to allow slavery and other states to not allow slavery, to be unconstituonal. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy, a black man, had purchased a train ticket to sit in an all-white designated railroad car and was arrested. Plessy took his case all the way up to the Supreme Court, which ruled that "separate, but equal" was constitutional. This allowed Jim Crow laws, which forced blacks to use separate facilities then whites, to continue on in the South. -
Schenck v. United States
Charles Schenck, who was the Secretary of the Socialist Party of America, had printed out phamplets condeming the draft that would force men to participate in World War I. The Supreme Court ruled that free speech was limited during wartime and established the "clear and present danger" doctrine, which restricts uses of free speech, such as yelling fire in a theater when there is no fire. -
Korematsu v. United States
After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, there was a great fear of Japanese Americans in the United States. In 1942, President Roosevelt forced Japanese Americans into internment camps, forcing them to give up their business' and their homes. Fred Karematsu argued that the U.S did not have the power to intern him, but the Supreme Court disagreed, stating that the need to protect the country was greater than protecting individual rights. -
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
Schools were segregated by race in Topeka, Kansas during the 1950s. Linda Brown, who was a black student, had to walk through a dangerous area in order to get to her school. There was a closer school to her, however, it was a school only for white students. Linda and her family took her case to the Supreme Court, which ruled that "separate, but equal" was unconstitutional, thus, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson. Schools and other public facilities could no longer be separated by race. -
Mapp v. Ohio
Dollree Mapp was suspected of hiding a person in her home. Mapp refused to let the police in because they did not have a warrant. Hours later, the police held up a piece of paper stating it was a "warrant" and found pornographic material in her home. Mapp was found guilty of possession of obscene material, though the police could not present the "warrant" in court. The Supreme Court ruled that based upon the Fourth Amendment, evidence could not be obtained through unlawful search and seizure. -
Gideon v. Wainwright
Earl Gideon was accused of burglary, however, he could not afford an attorney and was forced to represent himself. After being found guilty of burglary, Gideon began to study the law in prison and believed that the Sixth Amendment guaranteed him a lawyer if he could not provide one for himself. The Supreme Court ruled in his favor, stating that the States had to provide an attorney for those who could not afford one. -
Miranda v. Arizona
Ernesto Miranda was arrested for a crime after someone had identified him in a line-up. Miranda had confessed to the crime, but was not informed of his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination or his Sixth Amendment right about being provided with an attorney. His attorney argued that his confession should be excluded from the trial, since he was not informed of his rights and the Supreme Court agreed, thus, establishing the "Miranda Rights" being read to those who are arrested. -
Tinker v. Des Moines
John and Mary Beth Tinker wore black armbands to their school in Des Moines, Iowa to protest the Vietnam War. The school asked them to remove the armbands, but they refused and were suspended. The Supreme Court ruled that the school did not have the right to tell the Tinker's to not wear the armbands. This prevented schools from restricting Free Speech. -
Roe v. Wade
Jane Roe was an unmarried pregnant woman in Texas in 1970. Texas law stated that she could not have an abortion unless it was to save the mother's life. Roe sued, stating that she had a right to privacy as well as personal liberty. The Supreme Court ruled in her favor and stated that States could not prohibit first term abortions. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
The medical school at the University of California, Davis had set asside admissions for minority students. Allan Bakke, a white applicant, was denied admission, although minority students with lower GPA's were granted admission spots. Bakke sued the school and the Supreme Court ruled in Bakke's favor, forcing Davis to admit him into the program. The Supreme Court also ruled that race could be used as part of the admissions process as long as "fixed quotas" were not used.
