Landmark Supreme Court Cases Flashcards

Grade 11 · Social Studies · Flashcards

Essential Supreme Court decisions covering civil rights, free speech, privacy, criminal procedure, and constitutional interpretation.

Flashcards

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review — the Supreme Court's power to strike down laws that violate the Constitution; Chief Justice John Marshall's opinion is the foundation of the Court's authority.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Affirmed the Necessary and Proper Clause; Congress has implied powers beyond those explicitly listed; states cannot tax federal institutions.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Ruled that enslaved people were property, not citizens, and Congress could not ban slavery in territories; widely considered the Court's worst decision; overturned by the 14th Amendment.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Upheld separate but equal racial segregation under the Equal Protection Clause; the legal foundation of Jim Crow laws until overturned by Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Unanimously ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional because separate facilities are inherently unequal; overturned Plessy v. Ferguson.

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Applied the Exclusionary Rule to state courts; evidence obtained through illegal searches (4th Amendment violations) cannot be used in court.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Ruled government-sponsored prayer in public schools unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Guaranteed the right to an attorney for criminal defendants who cannot afford one (6th Amendment), applied to states through the 14th Amendment.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Required police to inform suspects of their rights (right to remain silent, right to an attorney) before custodial interrogation — the origin of Miranda rights.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Students do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate; ruled that wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War was protected symbolic speech.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Established a constitutional right to abortion based on the right to privacy; overturned by Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in 2022.

New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

The Pentagon Papers Case; ruled against prior restraint of the press; the government could not block publication of classified Vietnam War documents.

United States v. Nixon (1974)

Ruled unanimously that executive privilege does not shield a president from criminal subpoenas; Nixon had to surrender the Watergate tapes, leading to his resignation.

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