APUSH Supreme Court Cases

Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842)

Massachusetts Supreme Court decision that strengthened the labor movement by upholding the legality of unions.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

A Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of segregation laws, saying that as long as blacks were provided with "separate but equal" facilities, these laws did not violate the 14th Amendment. This decision provided legal justification for the Jim Crow system until the 1950s.

Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad Company v. Illinois (1876)

A Supreme Court decision that prohibited states from regulating the railroads because the Constitution grants Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce. As a result, reformers turned their attention to the federal government, which now held sole power to regulate the railroad industry.

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831)

A Supreme Court decision that ruled that the Cherokee nation was not a foreign nation with the right to sue in federal court.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

A Supreme Court decision that upheld the Espionage and Sedition Acts, reasoning that freedom of speech could be curtailed when it posed a "clear and present danger" to the nation.

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

A case in which the Court held that the 14th Amendment requires states to license and recognize same-sex marriage.

Muller v. Oregon (1908)

A landmark Supreme Court case in which crusading attorney (and future Supreme Court justice) Louis D. Brandeis persuaded the Supreme Court to accept the constitutionality of limiting the hours of women workers. Coming on the heels of Lochner v. New York, it established a different standard for male and female workers.

Bush v. Gore (2000)

A politically divided Supreme Court decision that declared Florida's mandates for recounting ballots during the disputed 2000 election was unconstitutional and the process was forced to stop, thereby guaranteeing Bush a victory.

Lochner v. New York (1905)

A setback from labor reformers, this 1905 Supreme Court decision invalidated a state law establishing a ten-hour day for bakers. It held that the "right to free contract" was implicit in the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Birth control is legal.

United States v. Nixon (1973)

Case in which the Supreme Court unanimously held that the doctrine of executive privilege was implicit in the Constitution but could not be extended to protect documents relevant to criminal prosecutions.

Lawrence v. Texas (2003)

Declared a Texas law making homosexual acts a crime as unconstitutional.

Schecter v. United States (1935)

Declared some of the New Deal policies as unconstitutional and stated that legislative powers could not be granted to the president.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Landmark Supreme Court decision that forbade states from barring abortion by citing a woman's constitutional right to privacy. Seen as a victory for feminism and civil liberties by some, the decision provoked a strong counter-reaction by opponents to abortion, galvanizing the pro-life movement.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954)

Landmark Supreme Court decision that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and abolished racial segregation in public schools. The Court reasoned that "separate" was inherently "unequal," rejecting the foundation of the Jim Crow system of racial segregation in the South. This decision was the first major step toward the legal end of racial discrimination and a major accomplishment for the Civil Rights Movement.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

New York granted a monopoly to a boat company on the Hudson River involving trade between New York and New Jersey. Broken up by the Supreme Court that ruled that only Congress has sole control over interstate trade.

Gideon v. Wainright (1963)

Right to a lawyer, even if one can't afford one.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Supreme Court case that established the principle of "judicial review" - the idea that the Supreme Court had the final authority to determine constitutionality.

Fletcher v. Peck (1810)

Supreme Court case that stated that states cannot "impair" contracts and that the Supreme Court can invalidate state laws if they conflict with the Constitution.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Supreme Court case that strengthened federal authority and upheld the constitutionality of the Bank of the United States by establishing that the State of Maryland did not have power to tax the bank.

Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819)

Supreme Court case that sustained Dartmouth University's original charter against changes proposed by the New Hampshire state legislature, thereby protecting corporations from domination by state governments.

King v. Burwell (2015)

Supreme Court case that upheld the Affordable Care Act's actions in providing tax subsidies for those using the insurance marketplace.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Supreme Court decision that extended federal protection to slavery by ruling that Congress did not have the power to prohibit slavery in any territory. Also declared that slaves, as property, were not citizens of the United States.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Suspects must be informed of their rights to legal counsel and silence upon their arrest, and if they decide to remain silent or do not waive their rights, the interrogation must cease.

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

The Supreme Court ruled that an entire race could be labeled as a "suspect classification," meaning the government was permitted to deny the Japanese their constitutional rights because of military considerations during WWII.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

The Supreme Court ruled that corporations were "legal persons" and had the same rights as individuals to buy ads to influence political elections.

United States v. Butler (1936)

The Supreme Court ruled that the processing taxes instituted under the 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act were unconstitutional.

Munn v. Illinois (1877)

This case seemed like a victory for the Grangers movement and represented a step toward greater governmental regulation of the economy. The Supreme Court decided that states had the right to regulate commerce within their states (particularly railroad and grain elevator companies), but this decision was largely overturned 10 years later by the Wabash case.