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AP Supreme Court Cases to Remember (in addition to EOC list)
AP Supreme Court Cases to Remember CONTINUED
(in addition to EOC list)
MARSHALL COURT – Early Republic, Era of Good Feelings, Era of the Common Man
Marshall Court decisions were significant to the strengthening of the central
government. Although Marshall was not an elected politician or official member of any
political party, he essentially thought and ruled as a Federalist. When the Federalist
Party died in 1815 with the Hartford Convention and Resolutions… Federalist ideology lived on in Marshall Court decisions.
1803 Marbury v. Madison established its role as the arbiter of the constitutionality of
federal laws, the principle is known as judicial review
1810 Fletcher v. Peck The decision stems from the Yazoo land cases, 1803, and
upholds the sanctity of contracts.
1819 McCulloch v. Maryland ruled that states cannot tax the federal government, i.e.
the Bank of the United States; the phrase "the power to tax is the power to destroy";
confirmed the constitutionality of the Bank of the United States.
1819 Dartmouth College v. Woodward ruled that the charter was protected under the
contract clause; upholds the sanctity of contracts.
1824 Gibbons v. Ogden Clarified the commerce clause and affirmed Congressional
power over interstate commerce.
1823 Johnson v. McIntosh Indian tribes had rights to tribal lands that preceded all
other American law; only the federal government could take land from the tribes.
1831 Cherokee Nation v. Georgia "The conditions of the Indians in relation to the
United States is perhaps unlike that of any two people in existence," Chief Justice John
Marshall wrote, "their relation to the United States resembles that of a ward to his
guardian. . .(they were a) domestic dependent nation." Established a "trust relationship"
with the tribes directly under federal authority.
1832 Worcester v. Georgia Established tribal autonomy within their boundaries, i.e.
the tribes were "distinct political communities, having territorial boundaries within which
their authority is exclusive."
Post Marshall Court; Antebellum Era, Early Industrialization and Market Revolution
1842 Commonwealth v Hunt labor combinations were legal provided that they were
organized for a legal purpose and used legal means to achieve their goals.
1857 Dred Scott v Sanford African Americans, whether slave or free, could not be
American citizens and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court, and that the
federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the federal territories acquired
after the creation of the United States.
(Roger Taney was the Supreme Court Chief Justice for the Dred Scott case. This ruling
propelled nation toward Civil War and inspired much of Lincoln-Douglass debate topics.
It essentially negated decades of compromising between North and South regarding the
issue of slavery)
Gilded Age, Industrialization, Urbanization, Enclosure of the West
This era saw a slight change in government in that it began to regulate business a tad
with the ICC (railroad regulation). This era also represents “slavery by another name” as the Court did not defend rights of African Americans.
1886 Wabash v Illinois severely limited the rights of states to control interstate
commerce, declaring Granger laws unconstitutional. It led to the creation of the
Interstate Commerce Commission (Congressional and Presidential reaction to decision
and plight of farmers)
1896 Plessy v Ferguson Upheld Jim Crow laws and segregation as long as facilities
were “separate but equal”
1898 U.S. v Wong Kim Ark practically everyone born in the United States is a U.S.
citizen. This decision established an important precedent in its interpretation of the
Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.
Progressive Era
Progressive reform was limited in this era as the Court struck down laws limiting work
hours (for men) and child labor. It was not until FDR in the 1930s that real progressive
reform regarding working conditions occurred. This era also saw justified limits to liberty
in the name of protecting the nation during war. This would happen again in WWII.
1905 Lochner v New York Declared limited work hours for bakers unconstitutional,
calling it an "unreasonable, unnecessary and arbitrary interference with the right and
liberty of the individual to contract."
1908 Hammer v. Dagenhart declared child labor law (Keating-Owen Act)
unconstitutional on the grounds that it asserted federal control of interstate commerce
for noncommercial objectives and that it interfered with the states' police powers
1908 Muller v. Oregon the Court upheld Oregon's ten-hour workday maximum for
women (designed to protect the weaker gender; hurt womens movement)
1919 Schenck v. United States is a United States Supreme Court decision concerning
enforcement of the Espionage Act of 1917 during World War I.
WWII
1941 Korematsu v U.S. Declared Japanese internment during WWII constitutional
WARREN COURT Post-WWII Era, Modern Civil Rights Era
The Warren Court was responsible for major changes in central government as
the Court asserted power in defending civil rights and increasing liberty and
equality among citizens.
1954 Brown v Board of Education Reversed Plessy ruling, declaring segregation to be
“inherently “unequal,” began desegregation of schools
1963 Gideon v Wainwright unanimously ruled that state courts are required under the
Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to provide counsel in criminal cases to
represent defendants who are unable to afford to pay their own attorneys.
1964 Escobedo v Illinois criminal suspects have a right to counsel during police
interrogations under the Sixth Amendment
1966 Miranda v Arizona Upon being arrested, individuals must have their rights
declared to them, “you have the right to remain silent…”
BURGER COURT
1971 Swann v Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education Ruled that busing was an
appropriate remedy for the problem of racial imbalance in schools, even when the
imbalance resulted from the selection of students based on geographic proximity to the
school rather than from deliberate assignment based on race. This was done to ensure
the schools would be "properly" integrated and that all students would receive equal
educational opportunities regardless of their race.
1973 Roe v Wade Legalized abortion as woman’s right to privacy 1978 Bakke v Regents of the University of California upheld affirmative action,
allowing race to be one of several factors in college admission policy. However, the
court ruled that specific quotas, such as the 16 out of 100 seats set aside for minority
students by the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, were impermissible.
Modern Era
2000 Bush v Gore Court ended recount of votes in Florida which led to George W.
Bush winning presidential election with the most electoral votes although Al Gore had
more popular votes.