Top 10 most important Supreme Court cases

Top 10

Supreme Court Cases

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More Info:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0005_0137_ZS.html

More Info:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2933.html

More Info:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0403_0602_ZO.html

Slavery, Due Process and The

Missouri Compromise

Judiciary Review and Federalism

Lemon Test and Religious

Affiliation

Secretary of State failed to deliever documents to William Marbury. Marbury sued for not allowing him to become a Justice of the Peace because of his opposing political party.

Dred Scott was a slave that moved from a free state back to a slave state where he appealed for freedom. The Supreme Court rule that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and permitted slavery in all states. The ruling states that since African Americans were not citizen, Dred Scott had no right to sue.

Decision: 4-0 favoring Marbury

Decision: 7-2 favoring Sandford

Rhode island and Pennsylvania were providing financial aid to church related schools. Established the Lemon test to create a division of religion and state through a three part test.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

States Rights and Commerce Clause

Decision: 8-0 favoring Lemon

Dred Scoot v Sandford (1857)

Lemon v Kurtzman (1971)

More Info:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/antebellum/landmark_gibbons.html

Ogden was given the exclusionary right by the state of New York to travel on New York's river and trade business. Ogden sued Gibbons for violating his contract by using a steam boat on the river. The court decided that New York's exclusionary rule was unconstitutional and that trading fell under the Commerce Clause.

Freedom of Speech

Gibbons v Ogden (1824)

Decision:5-1 favoring Gibbons

During protest at a National Convention in Texas, Lee Johnson burned a flag and was charged with desecration of a sacred object.

Decision: 5-4 favoring Johnson

More Info:

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/comm/free_speech/texas.html

Texas v Johnson (1989)

Right to Privacy and Abortion

Roe v Wade (1973)

Jane Roe was an unmarried, pregnant woman in Texas. At this point abortion was illegal. She believed this law violated her right to privacy and personal liberty. She sued the district attorney.

Decision: 7-2 in Roe's favor

More Info:

roevwade.org

School Segragation and Equal Protection

Brown v Board of Education (!954)

Mapp v Ohio (1961)

Over-ruled Plessy v Ferguson as it violated the Equal Protection Clause. Required the desegregation of public schools and intergrated by race.

More Info:

brownvboard.org

Miranda v Arizona (1966)

Exclusionary Rule and Due Process

McCulloch v Maryland

Decision: 9-0 favoring Brown

In Ohio, Dollree Mapp was a suspect in bomb making and illegal betting. She asked for a warrant, but when one was presented, they didn't allow her to read it. They found pornographic material and arrested her for it. The police actions were considered unconstitutional under the 4th Amendment.

Judiciary Review

Self-Incrimination and Due

Process

Decision: 6-3 favoring Ohio

The state of Maryland issued to tax

all banks and businesses in or who had business in Maryland. Andrew McColloch refused to pay taxes for the Baltimore branch of the Federal Bank. Maryland sued

Stated that any information given by someone whois interrogated but is not informed of their rights. Their confession are inadmissable in court.

More Info:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0367_0643_ZO.html

Decision: 7-0 favoring McCulloch

Decision: 5-4 favoring Miranda

More Info:

http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/384/436/case.html

More Info:

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=17&invol=316