82 Supreme Court Cases
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| 627697122 | Marbury v Madison | John Adam's midnight appointments = William Marbury. Madison withheld the papers. Marbury request an Act of Congress to get papers. Result: Supreme Court strikes this down claiming that this act is unconstitutional. = judicial review | |
| 627697123 | McCulloch v Maryland | Maryland imposes taxes on Second Bank of the United States. Cashier of bank (McCulloch) refuses to pay. Result: Congress has power to incorporate bank and Maryland cannot tax instruments of the fed. Gov. necessary and proper clause | |
| 627697124 | Gibbons v Ogden | Special permits giving rights to operate steamboats on New York waters exclusively were given. Gibbons (of New Jersey) was told he had to pay a fee to travel in New York. Result: New York cannot require licensing from other states. Only national government has that power - Supremacy clause - NY cannot regulate commerce | |
| 627697125 | Barron v Baltimore | Barron was owner of a profitable wharf in the harbor. As the city expanded sand accumulated in the harbor and deprived Barron of deep waters essential to his business so he demands compensation from the state. Result: SC does not have jurisdiction because the 5th Amendment only covers the national gov. not states - eminent domain | |
| 627697126 | Dred Scott v Sandford | Scott was a slave in Missouri and lived in a free state. When he returned to the state he tried to sue saying that he was free since he lived in a free state. Result: Only Congress may confer citizenship and only a citizen of the U.S. may be a citizen of a state. *legalized slavery* | |
| 627697127 | Ex parte Milligan | Milligan sentenced to death by military commission for acts of disloyalty. Milligan sought release for habeas corpus. Result: Civil courts do not have jurisdiction over military tribunals. | |
| 627697128 | Hirabayashi v US | President Roosevelt sets out an executive order for the relocation of aliens to camps during WWII. Hirabayashi was a student who violated curfew and relocation order. Result: The Court ruled that these camps and rules were necessary for developing weapons on the West Coast and war is a time of crisis. | |
| 627697129 | Reynolds v US | Reynolds challenged the anti-bigamy law by taking on another wife in Utah but was convicted. Result: The anti-bigamy statue does not violate the 1st Amendment free exercise because the statute may punish without regard to religious belief. | |
| 627697130 | Hall v DeCuir | Mrs. DeCuir sought passage on a steamboat. Benson would not admit her due to her color. Result: SC ruled that Benson has no right to "regulate commerce" by not allowing DeCuir on the boat. Additionally, he must obey the 14th Amendment. - civil rights | |
| 627697131 | Civil Rights Cases | In several cases, a black person was denied the same accommodations as a white person in violation of the 1875 Civil Rights Act. Result: Congress may only restrain state action due to the 14th amendment. The 10th A. only calls for state actions and not specific events. Congress cannot declare discrimination illegal. The Civil Rights Act violated the 10th Amendment. | |
| 627697132 | Yickwo v Hipkins | All laundries in wooden buildings were required to have permits. Being Chinese, Yick Wo was denied a permit. Result: SC ruled that the ordinance violated the Equal Protection Clause. On its face the ordinance said equal protection for all although vague. Unequal enforcement violates the 14th A. | |
| 627697133 | Plessy v Ferguson | A train segregated blacks from whites. Plessy being 7/8 white would not move to the black car and was arrested. Result: SC ruled that the separation is constitutional - "separate but equal" | |
| 627697134 | Swift v US | Monopoly(trust) formed in Chicago for meat. Result: Congress has the right to break up monopolies under the Commerce Clause. This case justified regulations under the Sherman Antitrust Act. | |
| 627697135 | Weeks v US | Police took papers which proved he had engaged in illegally mailing lottery tickets without a warrant. Result: SC ruled that this is a direct violation of the 4th A. *1st application of the exclusionary rule* | |
| 627697136 | Schenck v US | Schenck sent out circulars encouraging men to peacefully protest the draft. Convicted of violating the Espionage Act. Result: Schenck's actions are not protected under free speech in the 1st A. - clear and present danger test | |
| 627697137 | Gitlow v New York | Gitlow publishes manifesto advocating socialism. Result: SC rules that arresting him is a violation of free speech but if that speech leads to dangerous actions then the legislative branch may decide what is or isn't safe to say. Speech can be punished even if no action is taken. *1st case of selective incorporation* | |
| 627697138 | Near v Minnesota | Near published a newspaper indicating that public officials were gangsters. The state ordered him to stop publishing such newspapers. Result: SC ruled that this directly violates Free Press in 1st A. *prior restraint* - may only punish after publication | |
| 627697139 | Schechter Poultry Corp. v US | Congress gives the President the power to regulate industry under National Industry Recovery Act. Result: Congress does not have the authority to delegate such powers to the President. Congress may not delegate its legislative powers to the President. | |
| 627697140 | DeJonge v Oregon | DeJonge (communist) assembled to have a meeting with the communist party about protesting and was arrested under a syndicalism statute. Result: SC rules that syndicalism statute violates the due process clause and freedom of assembly. - incorporation | |
| 627697141 | Palko v Connecticut | Palko tried and convicted of second degree murder although he committed first degree. Tried again later for first degree murder and sentenced to death. Result: Double Jeopardy is not a fundamental right under the 14th A. and therefore is not applied to the states | |
| 627697142 | West Coast Hotel Comp. v Parrish | Parrish received lower wages than the minimum wage at the hotel. Result: the establishment of minimum wages is constitutionally legitimate. This does not violate the liberty of contract under the 14th A. Due Process and 5th A. | |
| 627697143 | Minersville School District v Gobitis | Two children were expelled for not saluting the American flag at school due to being Jehovah's Witnesses. Result: SC ruled that the salute does not infringe on liberties protected by the 1st and 14th. National unity. - in the state's interest | |
| 627697144 | Cantwell v State of Connecticut | Jehovah's Witnesses went door to door advertising their religion. Arrested for violating a local ordinance for solicitation and inciting a breach in the peace. Result: the state does not have the power to put out an ordinance to limit freedom of religion. Does the ordinance violate the 1st A? - yes | |
| 627697145 | Cox v New Hampshire | Jehovah's witnesses assembled to march on public streets and interfere with normal foot travel. Marchers arrested for violating a state statute that required a license to parade on public grounds. Result: The government cannot place regulations on content of speech but on the time, place, and manner on speech for public safety. = content neutral License required - 14th A. | |
| 627697146 | Betts v Brady | Betts was arrested for robbery and requested a lawyer. The state refused to provide him one so he went to trial and argued his own case while also arguing the right to an attorney. Result: The state does not have to provide a citizen with an attorney but merely cannot deny if requested. | |
| 627697147 | West Virginia State Board of Ed. v Barnette | West Virginia Board of Education required all pupils and teachers to salute the flag each day. Any who did not were expelled. Result: Requiring public school children to salute the flag is unconstitutional. - overruled Minersville. | |
| 627697148 | Korematsu v US | Japanese Americans were put into internment camps during WWII. Result: The need to protect the safety of the U.S. outweighed any single person's rights. Internment= necessary during wartime = constitutional | |
| 627697149 | Morgan v Virginia | Irene Morgan was ordered to sit in the back of the bus. She argued that since it was an interstate bus that the law did not apply. She was fined $10. Result: SC rules that the segregation on an interstate bus is unconstitutional. A state can neither require nor forbid segregation. - interstate commerce = commerce clause | |
| 627697150 | Terminiello v Chicago | Terminiello charged with inciting a riot because of his controversial speech (about racial groups) which upset many and caused fights to break out. Result: SC rules that the breach of peace ordinance is unconstitutional and that free speech may only be limited when there is clear and present danger that rises above public annoyance or unrest. | |
| 627697151 | Feiner v New York | After being asked to end a speech twice with the threat of violence, Feiner was arrested(leftist rally). Result: Feiner's arrest was constitutional because of the clear and present danger principle. His arrest maintained peace. it is in the interest of the community and the responsibility of the police to maintain peace. | |
| 627697152 | Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v Sawyer | President Truman issues executive order to have Sawyer seize all steel mills to avert suspected strikes. Result: The President does not have the power to do this because he does not have the power to seize private property. - infringes on 5th A rights. | |
| 627697153 | Sweatt v Painter | Sweatt was denied admittance to Texas Law School because of his race. Result: SC ruled that the school had to let him in because the separate facility for negroes was not even close to equal. - 14th A. | |
| 627697154 | Brown v Board of Education | Black children were denied admittance to a white public school. Result: Although the separate but equal doctrine should provide for equal facilities, the separation in public education maintains inequality. Brown 1- overturns Plessy v. Ferguson. Brown 2 - all schools must comply fully and with speed process for getting rid of segregation. | |
| 627697155 | Trop v Dulles | Trop deserted the army and denied doing so. He was then convicted and stripped of his citizenship under an act of Congress. Trop only awol for one day. Result: SC rules that stripping a citizen of citizenship is cruel and unusual punishment and unconstitutional by the 8th A. | |
| 627697156 | Mapp v Ohio | Obscene materials were obtained illegally from Mapp's home. Police tried to use the materials in criminal proceedings. Result: SC ruled that any evidence illegally obtained may not be used in a state court. Exclusionary rule - incorporation of the 4th A. | |
| 627697157 | Hoyt v Florida | Hoyt was convicted of murdering her husband by an all-male jury when women were exempted from jury duty but could still volunteer. Result: The state statute was upheld, reasoning that women were still the center of the home and could be exempt from such distractions. - Equal protection of the 14th A. | |
| 627697158 | Engel v Vitale | A nondenominational prayer was authorized to be said at the start of each day at local public schools. Result: The prayer violated the establishment clause. = 1st A. | |
| 627697159 | Baker v Carr | A law that was designed to apportion seats of the Tennessee General Assembly was ignored. Result: Legislative apportionments are under the Supreme Court's jurisdiction. "one person, one vote" -14th A. Baker says the law did not help economic growth. | |
| 627697160 | Gideon v Wainwright | Gideon was charged with breaking and entering in Florida and could not afford an attorney. When he asked to be appointed one, the state said they only had to appoint one to indigenous citizens for capital offenses. Result: SC rules that Gideon has a right to an attorney through the Bill of Rights. Overturned Betts v. Brady. Lawyers are necessities, not luxuries. = 6th A, Due Process = 14th and 5th | |
| 627697161 | Katzenbach v McClung | Owner of a restaurant refused to seat blacks in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Result: Discrimination in restaurants posed significant burdens on interstate flow of food and movement of products. - commerce clause | |
| 627697162 | Escobedo v Illinois | Escobedo was arrested for murder and was denied a lawyer before his arrest after request. His lawyer could not consult with him and he confessed to murder. Result: Escobedo was denied rights given by the 5th A. and not properly informed of them. 6th A, too. | |
| 627697163 | Griswold v Connecticut | Mrs. Griswold gave counsel to marital couples that wished to use birth control that was apparently against a Connecticut statute. Result: Marital couples have the right to privacy implied by a few amendments of the Bill of Rights. The statue therefore is unconstitutional. "right to privacy" = 1st, 3rd, 4th, 8th, and 14th | |
| 627697164 | Miranda v Arizona | In a number of cases, defendants were not informed of their rights under the 5th A. Miranda raped a woman and admitted to it after not being informed of the right to not self-incriminate. Result: The Court cannot use any statements obtained without the statement of "Miranda" rights. Guidelines to police interrogation 5th, 6th A | |
| 627697165 | Terry v Ohio | A policeman had been undercover observing Terry and three other men who were suspected of carrying concealed weapons. Terry was arrested. Terry presented a threat to the police. Result: The search and seizure was perfectly legal because the policeman had more than a hunch. The search was limited and the purpose was for the officer's safety in the investigation. - Terry pat down. - not protected by the 14th A. | |
| 627697166 | Tinker v DesMoines | Tinker siblings wore armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War and were suspended after refusing to remove them. Result: Symbolic speech is protected under the first A. The armbands caused no disturbance. | |
| 627697167 | Graham v Richardson | PA and AZ denied welfare benefits to aliens or those citizens who had not lived in the US for a certain amount of years. Result: SC rules that this is a direct violation of the 14th A. Aliens pay taxes too. | |
| 627697168 | New York Times v US | The President argues that the publication of the Pentagon Papers is in violation of executive privilege. Result: The barring of the publication of these papers is in violation of the 1st A. Publication does not imperial the public. | |
| 627697169 | Lemon v Kurtzman | Two state statutes provided funds to non-public schools for textbooks and teacher salaries of secular subjects. Result: The statutes violate the establishment clause of the 1st A. A three part test was created to determine if non-public schools could receive aid from the government. Must be secular legislative purpose. Lemon test = money in parochial schools. | |
| 627697170 | Wisconsin v Yoder | Amish people refused to send their children to school past the 8th grade when the state required public schooling for all children until age16. Result: This law is in conflict with the Free Exercise clause. The statute is in direct conflict with Amish beliefs. The Amish may teach themselves. | |
| 627697171 | Furman v Georgia | Furman was robbing a home when a resident came home. He ran, tripped, fell, and his gun went off and killed the resident. Furman was given the death penalty. Result: In these instances, this is cruel and unusual punishment and in violation of the 8th A. | |
| 627697172 | Lloyd Corp. v Tanner | Tanner was distributing anti-war handbills in a privately-owned mall. Owner of Lloyd Corp ordered him out. Result: Are 1st A. rights protected? Tanner's 1st A rights are not protected because the material was not related to the mall and he had the option of handing out materials on the public sidewalk outside and not on private property. | |
| 627697173 | Miller v California | Miller started a mass-mailing campaign of obscene materials and was convicted by a California statute forbidding the mailings. Result: The obscene materials do not enjoy the protection of the 1st A. due to the three prong test established in Roth v. United States. - obscenity test. | |
| 627697174 | Roe v Wade | Roe wished to terminate her pregnancy in Texas where law forbids it unless the woman's life is in danger. Result: A woman's right to an abortion falls under right to privacy protected by the Bill of Rights. | |
| 627697175 | US v Nixon | President Nixon claimed executive privilege when he withheld certain incriminating tapes from the Court involving the Watergate scandal. Result: The executive branch is not immune from the Court. The executive privilege is limited. Article II was in question. | |
| 627697176 | Taylor v Louisiana | Taylor was convicted of murder by a jury of all men. Result: The ruling of Hoyt v Florida was overturned. Women cannot be excluded from the jury pool. Overturned Hoyt v. Florida. | |
| 627697177 | Gregg v Georgia | Gregg was charged and found guilty of robbery and murder and sentenced to death. Result: The death sentence is not cruel and unusual punishment if the crime is a severe criminal case. | |
| 627697178 | Regents of the University of California v Bakke | Bakke was denied both times that he applied to Univ. of CA when the college only had 16 spots available for minorities due to affirmative action. Bakke was more qualified than all of the students admitted in those two years. Result: SC was split. Any racial quota system supported by the government violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Others held that race may be a criterion in admissions to higher education. quotas = unconstitutional. Affirmative action is legal. but this violates the 14th A. | |
| 627697179 | Plyer v Doe | Some Texas education laws allowed for the withholding of state funds to educate children of illegal aliens. Result: The law violates the 14th A. because, although illegal aliens, are people and enjoy such protections. Aliens have the right to public education. Laws violated the 14th A. | |
| 627697180 | United States v Leon | Policemen monitored drug dealings at a home and deduced from the cars going to and from the house that this was true. They requested a search warrant and found evidence on Leon. However, the warrant was invalid because of lack of probable cause. Result: The officers acted on good faith thinking the warrant was valid so the evidence could be used. - good faith exception to the exclusionary rule. | |
| 627697181 | Hudson v Palmer | Palmer was a prisoner in a Virginia prison and Hudson found destroyed private property which Palmer had to pay for. Hudson searched his locker without a warrant. Result: The right to privacy does not exist in a prison due to security requirements. - 4th A. | |
| 627697182 | Wallace v Jaffree | Alabama law allowed teachers to conduct regular religious services at school. Jaffree's three children attended public school in Mobile. Result: The law directly violated the Establishment clause and in fact endorsed religion = unconstitutional. Incorporation of 1st A. - affirmative endorsement of religion. | |
| 627697183 | New Jersey v T.L.O. | A teen was suspected of having drugs in her purse and belongings at school. A search was conducted in her locker and drugs were found and she was sent to a juvenile hall. Result: The search does not violate the 4th A. because the school had reasonable suspicion and the search was conducted to keep order and discipline. Schools do not have to abide by probable cause. - 4th and 14th | |
| 627697184 | Hazelwood v Kuhlmeier | The principal of a school would not permit the publication of an issue of the school paper because it contained inappropriate material written by students. Result: This does not violate the 1st A. because a school has the right to promote particular types of student speech and set standards within reason. Schools may set standards for speech and press and regulate if material goes against the values of the school. | |
| 627697185 | Texas v Johnson | Johnson burned an American flag in front of Dallas City Hall to protest the Reagan administration and was arrested. Result: Under the 1st A., Johnson has the right to burn the flag in protest. It cannot be prohibited just because most find it offensive. | |
| 627697186 | Stanford v Kentucky | A 17 year old was charged with murder, sodomy, and robbery and given the death penalty and the state had a death penalty for juveniles that committed Class A capital crimes. Result: This does not violate the 8th A. due to decency standards. It is also up to the states to determine the cut off age for the death penalty. = legal. 10th A. | |
| 627697187 | Cruzan v Missouri | Mary Beth Cruzan went into a coma after being involved in a car accident. When her parents wished to take her off of life support, the state prevented them from doing so without court approval. Result: While individuals may refuse medical treatment, one may not refuse for another on the basis of bad judgment. The state's attempt to save human life is constitutional. There is no guarantee that family members would act in the best interest of a patient. Families must have clear and convincing evidence that this is what the patient wants. - 14th A. - Due Process | |
| 627697188 | US v Eichman | Congress passed the Flag Protection Act in response to Texas v. Johnson. Eichman burned a flag on the steps of the US Capitol in protest of domestic and foreign policy. Result: Similar to Texas v Johnson, the law violates free expression. Allowing a flag to be disposed of but to not be burned in protest is unconstitutional. - 1st A. | |
| 627697189 | US v Lopez | Lopez was arrested for carrying a concealed firearm into school under a law made by Congress which prohibits concealed weapons in school zones in relation to the Commerce Clause. Result: Gun possession does not have a significant economic effect on interstate commerce and therefore the law is unconstitutional. - exceeds power under the commerce clause | |
| 627697190 | Reno v ACLU | The Communications Decency Act was created to protest minors from obscene material on the internet. Result: The Act violates the 1st A. because of its broad definition of obscene material which bars free speech. The 1st A only protects from indecent material. Such material must be more specifically defined. - violates the 1st and 5th A . | |
| 627697191 | Boy Scouts of America v Dale | Dale, an adult homosexual and gay-rights activist, was excluded from Boy Scouts after the troop learned of this. A law in New Jersey stated that a citizen cannot be excluded from public accommodations based on sexual orientation or race. Boy Scouts is a private, non-profit organization. Result: The New Jersey law violates the Boy Scouts' right of association which includes barring homosexuals as part of their values. - Equal Protection and 1st A. | |
| 627697192 | Santa Fe Independent School Dist. v Doe | A school in the Santa Fe School District permitted student-led, student initiated prayer before each home football game. Result: The student led prayer violates the Establishment clause as the public speech takes place on government property and government-endorsed events which means the prayer would also have to be promoted. This is unconstitutional. | |
| 627697193 | US v Morrison | A woman attending Virginia Tech was allegedly raped by two men, Crawford and Morrison. Morrison was found guilty but then appealed to the school board and his sentence was lessened. Brzonkala, the woman who was raped, appealed her case under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. Result: Congress does not have the power to pass such an act under the Commerce Clause or the 14th A. because the statute did not actually affect interstate commerce nor redress harm caused by the state. The court proceedings on the news discouraged people from going to the University which led Congress to be able to use the commerce clause.- Congress does not have this power. Only states do. | |
| 627697194 | Bush v Gore | Because of the closeness in the election of 2000, Gore ordered that ballots be recounted in Florida because of a potential mistake. The Florida Supreme Court authorized a recount in all counties. Result: Such a recount is unconstitutional because there is no standard set in the Constitution to do such nor does the state of Florida have the right to set up a new election law. The Florida Supreme Court may not create a new national election law. - 14th A. | |
| 627697195 | PGA Tour v Martin | During the PGA tour, Martin requested to ride in a golf cart during the qualifying round due to a degenerative circulatory disorder. The cart was denied to him. Result: The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 does require that the PGA give Martin a cart because it would not significantly "alter the nature" of the game. Does the 14th A apply to golf tournaments? | |
| 627697196 | Watchtower v Stratton | The Village of Stratton requires that anyone wishing to advocate religious material on private property must get a permit to do so or be arrested for misdemeanor. Result: This ordinance is unconstitutional due to the 1st A. and anonymous political speech. Receiving a permit would require that people would have to put their names on them. | |
| 627697197 | Lawrence v Texas | Policemen, entering a private home to follow through with a weapon tip, discovered two men, Lawrence and Garner, engaging in consensual sex. According to the Homosexual Conduct law, the two men were placed under arrest for engaging in homosexual relations. Result: The Texas law violates both of the men's 14th A. rights to engage in private conduct without intervention from the government. - violates the 14th and 4th A. - no legit state interest. | |
| 627697198 | Roper v Simmons | Christopher Simmons was convicted at 17 years old and sentenced to death in 1993. The state found that this was unconstitutional since the public today found that sentencing minors to death was cruel and unusual punishment. Result: The Court ruled that evolving standards have indicated that sentencing minors to death is both cruel and unusual under the 8th A. Overturned Stanford v Kentucky - incorporation | |
| 627697199 | Cutter v Wilkinson | A government act authorized the religious practices of inmates at a prison. Prison officials prohibited practices of certain inmates claiming it violated the Establishment Clause. Result: The act does not violate the 1st A. The act was designed to alleviate "government-created burden" on the religious exercise of prisoners. Prisoners MAY exercise religion. | |
| 627697200 | Gonzales v Oregon | In Oregon, a law was enacted that allowed physicians to legally euthanize terminally ill patients. The Attorney General ordered that under the Controlled Substances Act that physicians were prohibited from this practice. Result: The Supreme Court ruled that the Controlled Substance Act cannot prohibit physicians from this practice. The act was designed to punish illicit drug use. Additionally the Attorney General cannot dictate the practices that are authorized under state law. - 10th A. | |
| 627697201 | Morse v Frederick | A student at a local high school hung up a banner saying "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" which advertises the use of marijuana. The principal ordered that the banner be taken down and the student be suspended. Result: School officials can prohibit students from promoting the use of drugs and does not violate the student's 1st A rights. A decision was not reached about whether Morse was immune to being sued, being a school official. Case is similar to Hazelwood. | |
| 627697202 | Medellin v Texas | Mendellin was accused and sentenced to death for participating in the gang rape and murder of two teenage girls. Under the Vienna Convention, Mendellin said that he had a right to contact his consulate. The President upheld that states must comply with the U.S treaty obligation under the Vienna Convention. Result: The Court upheld Mendellin's sentencing because the Vienna Convention was self-executed and did not have the force of law from Congress which means it may not be applied to the states. Also, the President cannot require the states to obey the treaty when such is a congressional power. Texas has the authority to interpret the act. | |
| 627697203 | Virginia v Moore | The police received a tip that Moore had been driving with a suspended license. The state's policy was to issue him a citation and have him appear in court. Instead, the police arrested him and received consent to search his hotel room where they found 16 grams of cocaine. He was them arrested for possession and intent to distribute. Result: The Court ruled that Moore's 4th A rights had not been violated because the presence of probable cause gives an officer the right to reasonable search to ensure safety and safeguard evidence. It is of no consequence that the evidence was obtained incident to arrest through an unlawful arrest. |
