Gideon v. Wainwright
Established that a person who cannot afford an attorney may have one appointed by the government
Brown v. Board of Education
Established that segregation was a violation of the Equal Protection clause "separate but equal
Texas v. Johnson
Established that flag burning is protected by the First Amendment
Reynolds v. US
Established that court ruled that one cannot use religion as a defense to the crime of polygamy. Court ruled that religious practices that impair the public interest do not fall under the First Amendment.
Oregon v. Smith
Established that free exercise of religion does not include illegal drug use
Griswold v. Connecticut
Established that there is an implied right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution; also, states cannot ban the use of contraceptives
Marbury v. Madison
Established the Supreme Court's power of Judicial Review
Plessy v. Ferguson
Established separate but equal
McDonald v. Chicago
Established that the right of an individual to "keep and bear arms" is protected by the 2nd Amendment and incorporated by the due process clause of the 14th Amendment to apply to the states
Near v. Minnesota
Established that the first amendment protects newspapers from prior restraint.
Korematsu v. US
Established that order providing for the relocation of Japanese Americans was constitutional.
Board of Regents v. Bakke
Established that affirmative action was legal and allowed race to be one of several factors in the college admission process; quotas were declared illegal
Lemon v. Kurtzman
Established that aid to church-related schools must (1) have a secular legislative purpose; (2) have a primary effect that neither advances nor inhibits religion; and (3) not foster excessive government entanglement with religion.
Miranda v. Arizona
Established that criminal suspects must be informed of their right to consult with an attorney and of their right against self-incrimination prior to questioning by police.
Miller v. California
Defined obscenity by holding that community standards be used to determine whether material is obscene in terms of appealing to a "prurient interest" and being "patently offensive" and lacking in value.
Schneck v. US
Established the 'clear and present danger' test for free speech
McCulloch v. Maryland
Established that the necessary and proper clause justifies broad understandings of enumerated powers
Sweat v. Painter
was a U.S. Supreme Court case that successfully challenged the "separate but equal" doctrine of racial segregation established by the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson.
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Established that US Congress did not have the power to prohibit slavery in federal territories and slaves, as private property, could not be taken away without due process
Engel v. Vitale
Established that formal prayer in schools was unconsitutional
Furman v. Georgia
Established that the death penalty was not cruel and unusual punishment
Mapp v. Ohio
Established the exclusionary rule was applicable to the states (evidence seized illegally cannot be used in court)
Gibbons v. Ogden
Established that regulating interstate commerce is a power reserved to the federal government
Barron v. Baltimore
Established that the Bill of Rights restrained only the national government, not the states and cities.
Gitlow v. New York
Established selective incorporation of the Bill of rights; states cannot deny freedom of speech; protected through the 14th amendment
Wisconsin v. Yoder
Established that Amish children do not have to attend school after 8th grade - right to freedom of religion
Chaplinsky v New Hampshire
Established the "Fighting Words" doctrine.
Bethel School District v. Fraser
Established that obscene or vulgar student speech is not protected under the first amendment
Morse v. Frederick
Established schools can prohibit students from displaying messages against school policy even when they are not on campus
Tinker v. Des Moines
Established that students have the right to symbolic speech at school as long as it is not disruptive
New York Times v. Sullivan
Established guidelines for determining whether public officials and public figures could win damage suits for libel. To do so, individuals must prove that the defamatory statements were made w/ "actual malice" and reckless disregard for the truth
New York Times v. US
Established Prior Restraint. Overruled Nixon's attempt to prevent publication of Vietnam documents
NAACP v. Alabama
The Supreme Court protected the right to assemble peaceably in this 1958 case when it decided the NAACP did not have to reveal its membership list and thus subject its members to harassment.
Boy Scouts of America v. Dale
Established that a private organization may ban gays from its membership
Roe v. Wade
Established states could not ban abortion on the basis of a woman's right to privacy
Webster v. Reproductive Health Services
Established more leeway for states in regulating abortion, though no overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Planned Parenthood v. Casey
1992 abortion case that applied new flexible test (instead of rigid trimester framework of Roe v Wade): Does state regulation of abortion place "undue burden" on women's right to an abortion? Court used test to uphold some regulations like waiting periods
Lawrence v. Texas
Established that state law may not ban sexual relations between same-sex partners
Smith v. Allwright
Established that it was unconstitutional to deny membership in political parties to African Americans as a way of excluding them from voting in primaries.
Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Approved busing and redrawing district lines as ways of integrating public schools.1971.
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. US
The Supreme Court upheld the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination in schools, places of work, voting sites, public accommodations, and public areas
Gratz v. Bollinger
Affirmative action case; a point system for admission in which points were given for race was ruled unconstitutional; too much like a quota system; upheld Bakke case
Grutter v. Bollinger
Allowed the use of race as a general factor in law school admissions at University of Michigan