Important Supreme Court Cases

1. Important Supreme Court Cases

2. Marbury v. Madison (1803) • John Marshall used the case to establish Judicial Review which allows the court to declare a law unconstitutional • Most Important court case • Judicial review is not found in the Constitution • Made the Judicial Branch an equal with the Legislative and Executive Branches

3. N.J. v. T.L.O. (1985) • Dealt with student searches in schools • Ruled that schools do not have to meet the same requirements as the police when searching a student • Must only pass a reasonableness test, not have probable cause

4. Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969) • Case that started when students wearing black arm bands to protest Vietnam War were suspended from school • Courts said that students still have freedom of speech in schools as long as they do not disrupt the learning environment

5. Roe v. Wade (1973) • Dealt with abortion • Court based decision on current medical knowledge, not religious beliefs • Allowed abortions in first 3 months of pregnancy, banned them in the last 3 months, and left the middle three months up to the states

6. Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) • A slave named Dred Scott sued to the Supreme Court for his freedom since his master took him into a free state • Court said that he could not sue for his freedom as he was not a U. S. citizen • Court went on to say that no state could ban slavery as it was part of the Constitution (3/5ths Compromise) • This was one of the causes of the Civil War

7. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) • Dealt with a challenge to a Louisiana law that segregated races on railroads • Court said that segregation does not imply racial inferiority • Said that racial segregation was legal

8. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954) • Again addressed the issues of racial segregation, this time in public schools • Said that racial segregation implies that one race is superior to another • Said that racial segregation was illegal, reversing the Plessy case

9. Korematsu V. USA (1944) • After Pearl Harbor, US agents placed Japanese American in intern camps, Korematsu refused to go. • Court ruled that in war time, President has the power to do what they feel is necessary to protect the whole nation, thus the camps were legal. • Also said that living in the camps was a civic responsibility

10. Engle v. Vitale (1962) • New York tried to install a nondenominational, noncompulsory prayer in schools • Court ruled that any prayer said in school was in essence the school promoting religion, which violated the separation of church and State

11. Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988) • A principal of a High School banned several articles from the school newspaper, the students sued saying that they had free speech • Court said that the school paper was an educational tool and therefore could be censored • Also said that since the paper was not a public forum, the government did not have to protect the students free speech

12. Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) • Clarence Gideon was a small time thief that could not afford a lawyer and had to defend himself in court. He lost. • Sued to have his conviction overturned since he was denied a lawyer • Court agreed with Gideon, saying that all people are entitled to a lawyer no matter how small the case, because the common man does not have the skills necessary to defend themselves in court

13. Miranda v. Arizona (1966) • Was arrested and convicted of rape, thought conviction should be overturned as he did not have his rights read to him • Court ruled that a person must have their rights read to them at the time of the arrest and that once those rights are read, any confession is admissible in court.

14. Escebo v. Illinois (1964) • Asked at what time does a suspect have a right to an attorney • Court ruled that once an interrogation changes from a fact finding session, to an actual accusation, a lawyer must be present to prevent forced confessions

15. Mapp v. Ohio (1961) • Asked if any evidence that is gathered illegally may be used in court • Court ruled that no illegally gathered evidence may ever be used in a trial • This applies to both the state and national levels

16. United States v. Nixon (1974) • President Nixon refused to turn over tapes in a criminal investigation claiming executive privilege • Court said that a President can’t use executive privilege to avoid criminal charges • Nixon turned over the tapes and resigned 4 days later

17. Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978) • Case challenged affirmative action programs saying that they caused reverse discrimination • Court agreed with Bakke, however they went on to say that as long as race is not the only factor in determining jobs or admissions, then affirmative action programs were legal

18. Furman v. Georgia (1972) • Court ruled that the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment and all executions were stopped • Forced states to rewrite their laws to give jurors more guidance and to force state to try to apply the laws more fairly to all races and social classes

19. Reynolds v. Simms (1964) • Dealt with the question of whether or not congressional districts should be based on land size or population • Stated that all congressional districts must be drawn based on population not land size. Created the principle of “one man one vote”

20. Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools (1971) • Was a response to North Carolina’s slow reaction to desegregation its schools after the Brown v. Board of Education case • Forced school districts to use busing to integrate all schools

21. Texas V. Johnson (1989) • Was asking the question if whether burning an American flag was unpatriotic or if it was a protected form of free speech • Said the burning an American flag as a political protest was a protected form of free speech

22. McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) • Started when Maryland tried to tax a federal bank • Upheld the supremacy clause of the Constitution and the Maryland law was thrown out

23. Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819) • Allowed the corporation form of government to exist which allowed for the growth of the American economy

24. Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) • Was a question of the power of the federal government to regulate interstate commerce • Expanded the definition of commerce which allowed for rapid growth of the economy

25. Bush v. Gore (2000) • George Bush sued to the Supreme Court to stop the recount of votes in Florida during the 2000 Presidential election • Said that it violated the 14th Amendment rights • Court ruled that since there was no uniform way to judge the validity of the ballots, the recount had to stop • This gave the Presidency to George Bush over Al Gore

26. State v. Leandro (1994) • Parents from 5 counties in North Carolina sued the state saying that it did not provide enough money to give the students a “sound education” • Court ruled that the state constitution does not require equal funding for education

27. Hoke v. State (2004) • A follow up case to State v. Leandro • This time the court ruled that “At risk children require more resources and focused attention to learn • This forced the state to create new more equal funding programs