Marbury v. Madison (1803)
-- The Supreme Court's keystone power of Judicial Review was established by this
case.
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
-- A conflict arose between a state government and the Federal government, with
the state government being declared subordinate to the Federal government where
laws conflict.
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
-- In this case the Supreme Court gave a wide definition to Congress' power to
"regulate commerce... among the several states."
Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)
-- Slaves were classified as property. This case fueled the flames that began
the Civil War.
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
-- This famous case laid the groundwork for the "separate but equal
doctrine" that limited the rights of minorities for decades.
Schenck v. United States (1919)
-- "Clear and Present Danger" was established in this case as an
acceptable reason for the limiting of free expression.
Gitlow v. New York (1925)
-- The Supreme court began in this case to identify the rights that were
protected by the Due Process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Powell v. Alabama (1932)
-- The Supreme Court ruled here that the right to counsel was required by law in
death penalty trials.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
-- A tremendous step in the direction of equal rights for all citizens.
NAACP v. Alabama (1958)
-- Freedom of association (the right to assemble in groups) was protected here.
Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
-- The exclusionary rule was applied to state and local criminal prosecutions.
Abington School District v. Schempp
(1963)
-- Prayer in classrooms was determined to be in violation of the First
Amendment.
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
-- Free legal counsel was established in this case to be necessary in case the
defendent in any criminal case cannot afford it.
Wesberry v. Sanders (1964)
-- The Supreme Court declared here that each person's vote carries equal
measure.
Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)
-- Marital privacy (specifically, the use of contraceptives) was protected by
this case.
Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966)
-- Poll taxes were made illegal for state elections, as they violated the Equal
Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
-- The rights of the accused was upheld by this ruling.
In Re Gault (1967)
-- Children were granted some of the rights in criminal cases protected by the
Bill of Rights.
New
York Times v US (1971) -- the pentagon papers case- Court refuses to impose a
prior restraint on the publication of the papers—even if publication would
embarrass government, it would not endanger national security.
Roe v. Wade (1973)
-- In this highly controversial case the Supreme Court laid down what states can
and cannot control in regards to abortions.
United States v. Nixon (1974)
-- The President's "Executive Priviledge" was limited by this case.
Regents of the University of California at Davis v.
Bakke (1978)
-- Affirmative action was dealt a blow by this case.
Planned
Parenthood v. Casey (1992) -- Changed the assertion in Roe of a
"fundamental right" to choose an abortion to a "limited or
qualified" right subject to regulation by the states so long as the states
do not impose an "undue burden" on women. Specifically the Court
upheld parental notification and a 24-hour waiting period.
Shaw
v Reno (1993) -- Court ruled that a N.C. congressional district was so
irregularly drawn in its shape and clearly drawn to ensure the election of a
minority representative that it violated the fourteenth Amendment rights of
white voters. So, its gone from: race can't be the reason (this case) to race
can't be the predominant reason to just because you are conscious of race, it
does not invalidate the district if your motivations were political not racial
Reno
v ACLU (1997) -- With this ruling, the Court repealed parts of the
Communications Decency Act of 1996, extending First Amendment rights free speech
principles to the internet.
US
Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton (1997) -- state imposed term limits on members of
Congress were unconstitutional
Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000) -- upheld right of boy scouts to exclude gays based on freedom of association and speech