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Marbury v. Madison
Question:Did Marbury have the right to the commission? If he did, and his right had been violated, did the law provide him with a remedy? If it did, would the proper remedy be a writ of mandamus from the Supreme Court? Decision: A case in which the Court established a precedent for judicial review in the United States, declaring that acts of Congress that conflict with the Constitution are null and void, as the Constitution is the supreme law of the land. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
Question: Does Congress had the power to create a national bank? Did the state of Maryland interfere with congressional powers by taxing the national bank? Decision: A case in which the Court decided that the Second Bank of the United States could not be taxed by the state of Maryland, declaring that the government of individual states cannot impose laws on the functioning of the federal government. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Question: Whether the descendants of such slaves, when they shall be emancipated, or who are born of parents who had become free before their birth, are citizens of a State Decision: A case in which the Court decided that slaves who were descendants of American slaves were not citizens of the United States under Article III of the Constitution. The Court also used the decision to strike down the Missouri Compromise. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Question: Whether a Louisiana statute providing for equal but separate railway accommodations for white and black passengers violated the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. Decision: A case in which the Court held that state-mandated segregation laws did not violate the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. -
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
Question: Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities and other "tangible" factors may be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities? Decision: A case in which the Court decided that the "separate but equal" standards of racial segregation were unconstitutional, paving the way for the Civil Rights Movement and national desegregation. -
Miranda v. Arizona
Question: Whether “statements obtained from an individual who is subjected to custodial police interrogation” are admissible against him in a criminal trial and whether “procedures which assure that the individual is accorded his privilege under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution are necessary. Decision: A case in which the Court held that law enforcement cannot use testimony given by anyone under interrogation while in custody without that person being informed of their legal rights. -
Roe v. Wade
Question: Does the Constitution recognize a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy by abortion? Decision: The Supreme Court decided that the right to privacy implied in the 14th Amendment protected abortion as a fundamental right. -
United States v. Nixon
Question: Is the President's right to safeguard certain information, using his "executive privilege" confidentiality power, entirely immune from judicial review? Decision: A case in which the Court held that the President does not have executive privilege in immunity from subpoenas or other civil court actions. -
Texas v. Johnson
Question: Whether flag burning constitutes "symbolic speech" protected by the First Amendment. Decision: The majority of the Court, according to Justice William Brennan, agreed with Johnson and held that flag burning constitutes a form of "symbolic speech" that is protected by the First Amendment. -
Bush v. Gore
Question:Did the Florida Supreme Court violate Article II Section 1 Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution by making new election law? Do standardless manual recounts violate the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Constitution? Decision:The Court ruled that no constitutionally valid recount could be completed by a December 12. The Court said that the Supreme Court of Florida has said that the legislature intended the States electors to participate fully in the federal electoral process.