Supreme Court Cases Quizlet

New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, 2022

A New York law required individuals who desired to conceal-carry weapons to apply for a special license that justified a need for self-protection, something that the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association vehemently opposed. The majority opinion found that the Fourteenth Amendment was violated by this law y not permitting the Second Amendment to be applied to these citizens. This ruling undermined gun restrictions and set a precedent that these laws would only be implemented if they had been done so historically.

McDonald v. Chicago, 2010

A group of plaintiffs challenged a ban of handguns in the DC area, claiming it violated the Fourteenth Amendment's equal application of laws such as the Second Amendment. The majority opinion sided with the plaintiffs, claiming that laws must be uniformly applied across the country for order to persist. Self-defense was thereupon protected throughout America.

Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe, 1990

A student council member who delivered a prayer at Santa Fe High School was quoted as excessively Christian, leading to complaints being filed by members of other religions. The majority opinion of the Supreme Court found that such a prayer did violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The case established that even student-led prayer would not be permitted in school settings.

Miranda v. Arizona, 1966

After two hours of brutal police interrogation, Ernesto Miranda, suspected of a kidnapping and rape, wrote a confession, which got him convicted, even though he did not have legal counsel. The Supreme Court majority ruled that such a confession was illegitimate because he was unaware of the Fifth Amendment, the right to remain silent. Due to this case, the police must make every suspected criminal aware of the Fifth Amendment before questioning.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 1978

Alan Bakke was rejected twice by the UC Davis Medical School, which he claimed was due to a minority quota in his challenge of this UC policy through grounds of the Fourteenth Amendment, or equal protection under the law. In the majority opinion, the Supreme Court decided that although racial quotas violated the Equal Protection Clause, race could be considered during college admissions, thus instating affirmative action.

Planned Parenthood of Southern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 1992

An abortion control law included terms such as minors requiring permission from their parents and married women requiring the consent of the husband, which was called into question by doctors and abortion clinics. The Supreme Court majority ruled that upheld many of these policies but ended up strengthening Roe v. Wade by further integrating abortions into law. From this point onward, anti-abortion laws needed to be proven to not be a burden on the woman requesting an abortion.

Baker v. Carr, 1961

Baker claimed that the Tennessee General Assembly had been apportioned in a way that did not adequately represent the population. The District Court did not takee the case because they claimed that they did not have jurisdiction over legislative matters. However, according to the Supreme Court, because this case was not political in nature, correcting these violations of the Constitution was not outside of judicial jurisdiction because equal protection for people such as Baker was to be safeguarded. This case itself permitted the Supreme Court to judge redistricting.

Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board, 1971

Despite Brown v. Board of Education, many schools were still separated by race, such as those in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, which the NAACP recognized and brought the case to the Supreme Court. The majority opinion of the Supreme Court sided with the NAACP, that solutions such as busing were needed to integrate the racially disparate schools. This case set up a process to reintegrating schools, leading to the diverse schools we see today such as Clovis North itself. (busing)

Dredd Scott v. Sanford, 1857

Dredd Scott, a slave in Missouri, escaped to Illinois, where he claimed to be a free man. When his case reached the Supreme Court, the majority opinion written by Roger Taney claimed that such a case would not be taken by the Court, due to Taney not being able to sue because he was a slave. Taney further wrote that because slaves were property, going to a free state would not free a slave. Anti-slavery movement was strengthened as a result, eventually sparking the Civil War.

Schenck v. United States, 1919

During WWI, Charles Schenck encouraged Americans to dodge the draft, leading to his conviction of conspiracy against the US government. Schenck appealed undergrounds of the First Amendment, but the Supreme Court's unanimous opinion was that there was a "clear and present danger" in Schenck's speech, something not protected by the First Amendment. The case temporarily limited freedom of speech rights.

New York Times Company v US, 1971

During the Vietnam War, public opinion was key to continuing the war effort. Thus, President Nixon found New York Times editorials publishing defamatory classified documents regarding USA operations in Vietnam to be threatening to national security. However, the Supreme Court disagreed and claimed that poorly defined "security" could not justifiably overrule the First Amendment's protection, strengthening free speech and right to protest.

US v. Nixon, 1974

During the Watergate scandal, a prosecutor requested the tapes and Nixon was given a subpoena, which Nixon claimed he had "executive privilege" did not have to respond to the subpoena. The unanimous decision of the Supreme Court ruled that Nixon could not deny the subpoena. The result of the case was that, besides some exemptions in international politics, the president was not above the law.

Furman v. Georgia, 1972

Furman, a burglar, tripped on the trigger of his gun, setting it off and killing one of the residents, and was convicted of the death penalty. The Supreme Court majority opinion found the death penalty in this case a cruel and unusual punishment. The case weakened the application of the death penalty and the pre curiam focused on the racial bias of the death in the justice system.

Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824

Gibbons, a steamboat owner, and Ogden, an owner of a steamboat line, fell out of partnership, and Gibbons was left without permission to the Hudson Bay, so he sued Ogden for access to lessen the monopoly of steamboat tycoons Livingston and Fulton, who had exclusive access to the Hudson due to New York laws. The majority ruled that New York's law protecting Livingston and Fulton's monopoly was unconstitutional because regulating interstate commerce was a power of the federal government. The case established the Commerce Clause in the Constitution and the ability of the federal government to break up monopolies.

Gitlow v. New York, 1925

Gitlow, a strong believer of socialism, advocated anarchy, strikes, and other socialist policies through his "Left Wing Manifesto," leading to his conviction from the Criminal Anarhcy Law of New York. Gitlow challenged the law under the First Amendment, but the majority opinion of the Supreme Court upheld the law, claiming that advocating anarchy was not allowed under the Bill of Rights. Like the Schenck case, the clear and present danger justification again set back US freedom of speech by chipping away at the First Amendment. Violent overthrow of the government, however, was established as illegal.

Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, 2022

High school football coach Kennedy prayed with his students before and after games, which the Bremerton School District suspended him for. Kennedy appealed on the basis of the First Amendment, and the majority opinion on the Supreme Court sided with him. As established by the case, teachers are permitted to pray under certian circumstances, removing the "Lemon test" established by the Lemon v. Kurtzman case.

New Jersey v. T. L. O. 1985

High school student T.L.O., suspected to be dealing marijuana and cigarettes, was searched and found guilty. T.L.O. challenged the charge on the grounds that it was an unlawful search of her property, but the majority opinion of the Supreme Court sided against her, claiming there was reasonable cause to do so and therefore no search warrant was required to do so as it was a school environment. This case established that schools had the authority to search students' belongings as long as there was sufficient reason to do so.

Bush v. Gore, 2000

In an incredibly close election between Vice President Al Gore and Governor George Bush, every vote counted, and every vote was to be recounted in Florida, where over 61,000 ballots were supposedly missed. Believing the count to be illegitimate due to the variation in regional standards and the short remaining time that would have led to poor quality control, the majority opinion of the Supreme Court sided with George Bush and dismantled the recount. The result of this case was that George Bush edged out Al Gore for the presidency.

Korematsu v. United States, 1944

In the middle of World War II, Japanese internment camps were established, and Japanese American citizens were forced into relocation camps, which Fred Korematsu was arrested for violating and sued for. The majority opinion of the Supreme Court was that this Executive Order which established the internment camps was not unconstitutional because in times of war, such as decision was strategical. The case established that in certain extreme cases, civil rights could be waived, although it did get overturned.

Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963

Indicted for a felony, Gideon was not given an attorney to represent him in court and was sentenced to five years in prison. He appealed and the case landed in the Supreme Court that, in a unanimous decision, upheld Gideon's and therefore all Americans' right to an attorney no matter the circumstance.

Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith, 1990

Members of a Native American Church inhaled peyote, a drug, even though they were counselors for a drug rehabilitation organization, which they were promptly fired for. They filed for unemployment compensation but were denied the benefits, which the majority opinion of the Supreme Court struck down. The case established that certain exceptions could override religious beliefs.

Miller v. California, 1973

Miller, selling adult material, violated Californian law that spreading pornographic material was illegal. Miller sued, but the majority opinion of The Supreme Court did not end up siding with him, claiming that obscene materials were not protected by the First Amendment. Thus, obscene material was no longer protected unless there was some educational value.

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, 2022

Mississippi banned abortions for fetuses after 15 weeks of age, which was contested by a doctor in Jackson Women's Health Organization in Mississippi. The Supreme Court ended up siding against the doctor, claiming that the Constitution never permitted abortions. As a result, Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey was overruled.

Reynolds v. US, 1879

Mormon George Reynolds married multiple women and was subsequently charged under the Morrill Anti-Bigany Act, which he contested as unconstitutional due to his First Amendment right to free religious practice. The Supreme Court unanimously sided against him, claiming that although the government could not judge whether or not a religious practice was "correct", it could outlaw. The case thus created a precedent that the First Amendment right to free exercise of religion was not infallible.

Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015

Multiple plaintiffs, same-sex couples, challenged state bans on same-sex marriage, citing the Fourteenth Amendment. The majority opinion of the Supreme Court agreed with these plaintiffs, citing the Due Process Clause which protects the right of marriage. The case established the legality of same-sex marriage and required states to license and recognize such marriages.

Reynolds v. SIMS, 1964

One district of Jefferson County, Alabama had more than 40 times as many voters as another district, raising the eyebrows of voters. When the case reached the Supreme Court, the majority opinion wrote that every district should be relatively equal in population. The case established the Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause as protection against gerrymandering.

Mapp v. Ohio, 1961

Plaintiff Dollree Mapp, after an illegal police search, was found guilty of possessing pornographic materials. The Supreme Court majority opinion ruled that such illegal searches were not allowed to be presented to a jury as a result of the Fourth Amendment. This case strengthened American's right against illegal searches and seizures as it also applied to states.

Gregg v. Georgia, 1976

Plaintiff Gregg, an armed robber and murderer, was given capital punishment, which he challenged on grounds of violating the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. The Supreme Court sided against him, claiming the death penalty for murder was not a cruel and unusual punishment. The death penalty was thus held up by the case due to its supposedly repellant nature of crimes.

Shelley v. Kraemer, 1948

Prior to the Civil Rights movement, many white neighborhoods utilized underhanded techniques to keep blacks out, such as restrictive covenants that prevented African-Americans from moving in. The Shelleys, an African-American family challenged this covenant by moving into their house, and the case rose to the Supreme Court, where the unanimous opinion sided with the Shelleys, that enforcing a covenant violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. However, the Supreme Court allowed racially restrictive covenants as long as they were not enforced, making the case a small step rather than a giant leap for Civil rights.

Engel v. Vitale, 1962

School-sponsored prayers were banned by the Supreme Court in Engel v. Vitale. as a result of the Establishment Clause separating church and state. Even though the New York State Board of Regents's allowance of prayer was voluntary, the majority opinion of the Supreme Court decided that the majority of American religion was diverse, and this would cause an endorsement of certain belief systems. From this point onward, public schools would not be allowed to engage in prayer with their students.

McCulloh v. Maryland, 1819

Tackling the complex relationship between state and federal governments, the Supreme Court ruled that although the state had the power to tax, the Constitution and therefore the federal government still held supremacy over the states right to tax, thus strengthening the federal government's power. Specifically, Congress chartered a controversial bank that many states opposed, that in turn taxed the bank. When a federal cashier, James W. McCulloh, refused to pay the tax, Maryland sued, and the case went to the Supreme Court. The case thus established the Supremacy Clause in the Constitution.

United States v. Lopez, 1995

Texan student Alfonzo Lopez carried a concealed gun to school and was charged with firearm possession on school property. He claimed to be selling the gun, and the Act which banned firearm possession violated interstate commerce. The majority opinion of the Supreme Court ended up siding with Lopez, that Congress' commerce clause did not have the authority to regulate something as distant to commerce as firearm possession in school property, mitigating the power of the legislative branch. The Commerce Clause, previously applied to many cases with weaker links to interstate commerce, was finally being limited.

Reno v. ACLU, 1997

The 1996 Communications Decency Act criminalized obscene or even subjectively offensive material on the Internet with the justification of protecting minors, sparking outrage with the ACLU. The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, sided with the ACLU, claiming the act violated the First Amendment because of its vagueness in defining what it meant by obscene and offensive. This case established a more free Internet by weakening censorship.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC), 2010

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), a law that prevents corporations from funding politicians to a certain extent, was stopped from regulating Hillary: The Movie, a smear campaign by conservative group Citizens United against Hillary Clinton. The majority opinion of the Supreme Court limited the BCRA, claiming political speech must be free for all, even corporations. In other words, corporations were to be treated the same as individuals in their rights and were allowed to essentially control the elections with "dark money".

Shurtleff v. Boston, 2022

The City Hall flagpole flies requested flags until religious organization Camp Constitution attempted to fly a "Christian flag", which Commissioner of Property Management George T. Rooney denied. In a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court, such a decision did violate the First Amendment right of the organization as flag raising was considered government speech, which must not show favor or disfavor of Christianity. The case established that disfavor against religions was as protected by the First Amendment as favoring certain religions.

Carson v. Makin, 2022

To approve tuition assistance, the Maine government must approve such a school, and religious-affiliated schools are not included in such a criteria. Several parents sued as a result, and the case reached the Supreme Court, which sided with the parents. The First Amendment could now onward be used to justify government assistance to private nonsecular schools.

Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896

When 1/8 African American man Homer Plessy was forced off of a whites-only railroad car, he decided to fight against the Separate Car Act of Louisiana. Unfortunately, the majority opinion of the Supreme Court upheld the law, claiming that segregating the cars did not lead to inferiority for African Americans, thus not violating the 14th amendment. This case established the "separate but equal" doctrine, setting back civil rights for several decades, and African Americans were not treated as citizens.

Wisconsin v. Yoder, 1972

When Amish parents refused to send their children to school as a result of their religion, they were prosecuted, and the case reached the Supreme Court. The majority opinion was that the First Amendment held greater weight than the education requirement, thus further protecting religious freedom and right to practice in the USA. From this case onward, parents were given control over their students' education.

Loving v. Virginia, 1967

When Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving married in Washington D.C., they decided to settle in Virginia but were found guilty of an anti-interracial marriage law. Loving sued, and the unanimous opinion of the Supreme Court sided with him, striking down the anti-interracial marriage law. On the basis of the Fourteenth Amendment, equal protection from all protected interracial marriage from that point onward.

Shaw v. Reno, 1993

When a North Carolina districting plan was rejected by the Attorney General for only containing a single black-majority district, North Carolina's second plan was to split in two, with one being drastically larger than the other. North Carolinians challenged this district plan, claiming it as an instance of gerrymandering, which the majority opinion of the Supreme Court agreed with. This set the precedent for redistricting to have to truly be proportional to the population, not to further a political agenda, even if doing so had good intentions.

Griswold v. Connecticut, 1965

When a gynecologist began distributing birth control at their clinic with the help of the head of Connecticut's Planned Parenthood Estelle Griswold, they were arrested due to a Connecticut law that banned contraception. Griswold challenged this proceeding, and the majority decision of the Supreme Court struck down the law. More broadly, the Supreme Court established the right to privacy for married couples, that the government could not interfere with marital life, something that was not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution.

Heart of Atlanta Motel v. US, 1964

When an Atlantan motel refused to serve African Americans, the owner was charged with violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through the Commerce Clause, that racism lead to a weakening of commerce, which the government regulates. In a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court, Justice Clark wrote that such discrimination truly did cause a decrease in business, allowing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to be applied to public services such as hotels and motels.

Terry v. Ohio, 1968

When an officer randomly stopped plaintiff Terry and searched him, the officer ended up actually finding a weapon, causing Terry to be sentenced to three years in prison. The majority opinion of the Supreme Court decided that although the officer acted on something off a hunch, having only seen Terry pace back and forth with his friend, he had enough impetus to search Terry without violating the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable search and seizures. Terry v. Ohio therefore made the "stop and frisk" policy constitutional, where American police could non-intrusively search a suspect.

Lemon v. Kurtzman, 1973

When religious schools were given public funding, several citizens sued, claiming such a policy violated the Establishment Clause and therefore separation of the Church and State. The majority opinion of the Supreme Court wrote in a unanimous decision that such funding truly did violate the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. The case thus established a three-part test to protect the Establishment Clause, that every law must have a nonreligious purpose, not advance or inhibit religion, and not entangle the government too heavily with religion.

Texas v. Johnson, 1989

While protesting Reagan's administration, plaintiff Gregory Lee Johnson burnt an American flag and was promptly convicted of flag desecration, a Texas law that fined him for $2,000 and a year in prison. When he appealed and the case went to the Supreme Court, the majority opinion decided that his form of protest should not be prohibited, thus protecting the First Amendment. The law of flag desecration was thereby declared unconstitutional.

New York Times v. Sullivan 1964

With the Civil Rights movement in full force during the 1960s, The New York Times posted an ad in their newspaper protesting Martin Luther King's perjury charges However, Public Safety Commissioner L.B. Sullivan charged them with libel as a result of minor accuracies in the ad. The Supreme Court's unanimous decision decided that to charge someone with libel, not only did there need to be falsehoods, there needed to be malicious intent, thus setting the precedent for future libel cases, that fake news was not enough to justify a libel charge. Defamation was no longer as easy to charge.

Buckley v. Valeo, 1976

With the Watergate scandal still hanging in the air, Congress decided to limit the maximum donation to political candidates to avoid another extreme instance of corruption through the creation of the Federal Election Commission with the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971. The Supreme Court's ruling on this new law was that limitations on campaign donations from other corporations or individuals was legitimate, but a person's own money could be used to sponsor a campaign, thus setting the precedent for campaign regulations to come. Thus, election expenditures were limited as was corruption in elections.

Tinker v Des Moines Independent Community School District, 1969

a group of students decided to protest the Vietnam War by wearing black armbands, which the school opted to prohibit. The Supreme Court decided that such student activism did not disrupt normal school functionality or other individuals' rights, so upheld these students' right to protest and therefore First Amendment Rights for years to come.

Brown v. Board of Education, 1954

a keystone of the civil rights movement, dismantled segregation in the public sector, specifically the schooling system. The Supreme Court did this by overturning Plessy v. Ferguson, when plaintiff Oliver Brown sued the Board of Education for banning his daughter from attending their school. The Supreme Court decided that separating races did not lead to equality but discrimination on behalf of the African American side. This case thus overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and the separate but equal doctrine.

Roe v. Wade, 1973

anonymous plaintiff Jane Roe challenged Texas laws, suing district attorney Henry Wade, that made abortion illegal besides a few exemptions. The Supreme Court decided to overturn these laws with the justification of "right of privacy", that women should be able to control their home life without government intervention, and prohibiting abortion would infringe on this right. Legality of abortion was established with this case.

Marbury v. Madison, 1803

arguably the most important Supreme Court case in the lens of the judicial branch, established the authority of the Supreme Court through judicial review, the ability to label laws as unconstitutional. The majority opinion of the Supreme Court, through this case, compelled Secretary of State James Madison to approve the entry of the rapid appointments of new justices at the end of John Adams' term, seen as a desperate attempt by Adams to salvage what was left of his term by President Thomas Jefferson.