Chapter 6 Court Cases

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

"The case began on March 2, 1801, when an obscure Federalist, William Marbury, was designated as a justice of the peace in the District of Columbia. Marbury and several others were appointed to government posts created by Congress in the last days of John Adams's presidency, but these last-minute appointments were never fully finalized. The disgruntled appointees invoked an act of Congress and sued for their jobs in the Supreme Court. (Justices William Cushing and Alfred Moore did not participate.)" (oyez.com) Supreme Court's Ruling: The justices held, through Marshall's forceful argument, that on the last issue the Constitution was "the fundamental and paramount law of the nation" and that "an act of the legislature repugnant to the constitution is void."

Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (1970)

14,000 black students attended schools that were either totally black or more than 99 percent black. Lower courts had experimented with a number of possible solutions when the case reached the Supreme Court. (oyez.org) Supreme Court's Ruling: The Court ruled that remedial plans were to be judged by their effectiveness, and the use of mathematical ratios or quotas were legitimate "starting points" for solutions

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

A New York state law gave to individuals the exclusive right to operate steamboats on waters within state jurisdiction. Laws like this one were duplicated elsewhere which led to friction as some states would require foreign (out-of-state) boats to pay substantial fees for navigation privileges. (oez.com) Supreme Court's Ruling: The unanimous Court found that New York's licensing requirement for out-of-state operators was inconsistent with a congressional act regulating the coasting trade.

Green v. County School Board of New Kent County (1968)

A small school district had a racially desegregated population, but the "freedom of choice" rule had done very little to promote desegregation of the schools. No whites had gone to the predominantly black school, and few blacks were attending the white school. Supreme Court's Ruling: In Green, the Supreme Court measured the effectiveness of the New Kent County School Board's freedom-of-choice plan in achieving a racially nondiscriminatory school system as required under Brown.

Cumming v. Richmond County Board of Education (1899)

Black children were being denied education in the white schools, regarding to the segregation laws. The white and black schools approached equality in terms of buildings and teacher salaries. Supreme Court's Decision: The Supreme Court of the State, refused the relief asked by the plaintiffs and dismissed their petition

Roe v. Wade (1973)

ISSUE: Abortion Roe, a Texas resident, sought to terminate her pregnancy by abortion. Texas law prohibited abortions except to save the pregnant woman's life. After granting certiorari, the Court heard arguments twice. Supreme Court's Ruling: The Court held that a woman's right to an abortion fell within the right to privacy (recognized in Griswold v. Connecticut) protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. (oyez.org)

Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1991)

ISSUE: Abortion The Pennsylvania legislature amended its abortion control law in 1988 and 1989. A married woman seeking an abortion had to indicate that she notified her husband of her intention to abort the fetus. These provisions were challenged by several abortion clinics and physicians. Supreme Court's Ruling: The justices imposed a new standard to determine the validity of laws restricting abortions. The new standard asks whether a state abortion regulation has the purpose or effect of imposing an "undue burden," which is defined as a "substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion before the fetus attains viability." (oyez.org)

Gonzales v. Carhart (2007)

ISSUE: Abortion In 2003, Congress passed and the President signed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. The controversial concept of partial-birth abortion is defined in the Act as any abortion in which the death of the fetus occurs when "the entire fetal head [...] or [...] any part of the fetal trunk past the navel is outside the body of the mother." (oyez.org) Supreme Court's Ruling: The US Supreme Court held in a five-to-four decision that the 2003 Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act passed by the US Congress was constitutional. Federal Law may ban certain forms of partial birth abortion.

Richmond v. Croson (1989)

ISSUE: Affirmative Action In 1983, the City Council of Richmond, Virginia adopted regulations that required companies awarded city construction contracts to subcontract 30 percent of their business to minority business enterprises. The J.A. Croson Company, which lost its contract because of the 30 percent set-aside, brought suit against the city. (oyez.org) Supreme Court's Ruling: The Court held that "generalized assertions" of past racial discrimination could not justify "rigid" racial quotas for the awarding of public contracts. (oyez.org)

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

ISSUE: Civil Rights Allan Bakke, applied for the University of California at Davis and was rejected both times even though his qualifications were over exceeding. Supreme Court's Ruling:There was no single majority opinion.

United Steelworkers v. Weber (1979)

ISSUE: Civil Rights Kaiser Aluminum had policy of allowing whites and blacks into training program on one for one basis. Supreme Court's Ruling: The Court held that the training scheme was legitimate because the 1964 Act "did not intend to prohibit the private sector from taking effective steps" to implement the goals of Title VII.

United States v. Virginia (1995)

ISSUE: Civil Rights The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) boasted a long and proud tradition as Virginia's only exclusively male public undergraduate higher learning institution. Supreme Court's Ruling: In a 7-to-1 decision, the Court held that VMI's male-only admissions policy was unconstitutional. Because it failed to show "exceedingly persuasive justification" for VMI's gender-biased admissions policy, Virginia violated the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause. (oyez.org)

Rostker v. Goldberg (1980)

ISSUE: Civil Rights After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in early 1980, President Jimmy Carter reactivated the draft registration process. A number of men challenged the constitutionality of the MSSA, and the challenge was sustained by a district court. Supreme Court's Ruling: The Court held that Congress's decision to exempt women from registration "was not the 'accidental by-product of a traditional way of thinking about females'" and did not violate the Due Process Clause.

Craig v. Boren (1976)

ISSUE: Civil Rights and Judicial Power An Oklahoma law prohibited the sale of "nonintoxicating" 3.2 percent beer to males under the age of 21 and to females under the age of 18. Curtis Craig then challenged the law as discriminatory, Supreme Court's Ruling: "The Court held that the statute made unconstitutional gender classifications. The Court held that the statistics relied on by the state of Oklahoma were insufficient to show a substantial relationship between the law and the maintenance of traffic safety." (oyez.org)

Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000)

ISSUE: Civil Rights and Sex Discrimination The Boy Scouts of America revoked former Eagle Scout and assistant scoutmaster James Dale's adult membership because of his homosexuality. Supreme Court's Ruling:The Court held that "applying New Jersey's public accommodations law to require the Boy Scouts to admit Dale violates the Boy Scouts' First Amendment right of expressive association." A private organization may ban gays from its membership.

Reed v. Reed (1971)

ISSUE: Civil Rights and Sex Discrimination The Idaho Probate Code specified that "males must be preferred to females" in appointing administrators of estates. After the death of their adopted son, both Sally and Cecil Reed sought to be named the administrator of their son's estate (the Reeds were separated). According to the Probate Code, Cecil was appointed administrator and Sally challenged the law in court. (oyez.org) Supreme Court's Ruling: In a unanimous decision, the Court held that the law's dissimilar treatment of men and women was unconstitutional.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1895)

ISSUE: Diversity "The state of Louisiana enacted a law that required separate railway cars for blacks and whites. In 1892, Homer Adolph Plessy--who was seven-eighths Caucasian--took a seat in a "whites only" car of a Louisiana train. He refused to move to the car reserved for blacks and was arrested." (oyez.org) Supreme Court's Ruling: The supreme court held the ruling constitutional.

Kelo v. City of New London (2000)

ISSUE: Due Process Clause The city of New London approved a development plan that, in the words of the Supreme Court of Connecticut, was "projected to create in excess of 1,000 jobs, to increase tax and other revenues, and to revitalize an economically distressed city, including its downtown and waterfront areas." The city purchased property and seeks to enforce eminent domain to acquire the remaining parcels from unwilling owners. (casebriefs.com) Supreme Court's Ruling: The majority held that the city's taking of private property to sell for private development qualified as a "public use" within the meaning of the takings clause.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

ISSUE: Equality Case practiced the separate but equal school equality. Supreme Court's Ruling: The court decided "separate but equal" schools cannot be equal and are inherently unequal. This Supreme Court decision makes any legal school segregation unconstitutional. Black children were being denied education in the white schools, regarding to the segregation laws. The white and black schools approached equality in terms of buildings and teacher salaries. The previous ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson ruled on the aspect of equality in the Separate but Equal Doctrine. Brown v. Board of Education focused on the "separate" aspect, declaring this against the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. (constitution.laws)

United States v. Lopez (1994)

ISSUE: Federalism Alfonzo Lopez, a 12th grade high school student, carried a concealed weapon into his San Antonio, Texas high school. He was charged under Texas law with firearm possession on school premises. Supreme Court's Ruling: The possession of a gun in a local school zone is not an economic activity that might, through repetition elsewhere, have a substantial effect on interstate commerce. The law is a criminal statute that has nothing to do with "commerce" or any sort of economic activity.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

ISSUE: Judicial Power The case of Griswold v. Connecticut dealt with a Connecticut law that outlawed the use of any instrument, drug or pharmaceutical to serve as contraception for pregnancy. Supreme Court's Decision: The United States Supreme Court overturned the Connecticut law which forbade the use of prophylactics as contraception. The United States Supreme Court ruled that the state law was in direct violation of the right to privacy within a private setting. Found a "right to privacy" in the Constitution that would ban any state law against selling contraceptives.

Lawrence v. Texas (2003)

ISSUE: Privacy The case of Lawrence v. Texas started in September of 1998 when two men—Tyron Garner and John Lawrence were arrested in Houston, Texas. The men were arrested because law enforcement agents found that they engaged in consensual sex with each other. Supreme Court's Ruling: In Lawrence v. Texas, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the "Homosexual Conduct Law" was indeed a violation of the 14th Amendment because it did not preach equality. Homosexual Conduct Law: Made it a crime for two people of the same sex to have oral or anal sex, even though those sex acts were legal in Texas for people to engage in with persons of a different sex

Bowers v. Hardwick (1985)

ISSUE: Privacy Michael Hardwick was observed by a Georgia police officer while engaging in the act of consensual homosexual sodomy with another adult in the bedroom of his home. He was then charged with charged with violating a Georgia statute that criminalized sodomy. (oyez.com) Supreme Court's Ruling: The divided Court found that there was no constitutional protection for acts of sodomy, and that states could outlaw those practices.

Scott v. Sanford (1857)

ISSUE: Slavery Was Dred Scott a free slave? "Scott then brought a new suit in federal court. Scott's master maintained that no pure-blooded Negro of African descent and the descendant of slaves could be a citizen in the sense of Article III of the Constitution. Dred Scott was a slave. " (oyez.org) Supreme Court's Ruling: Dred Scott was a slave. Under Articles III and IV, argued Taney, no one but a citizen of the United States could be a citizen of a state, and that only Congress could confer national citizenship. (oyez.org)

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

In 1816, Congress chartered The Second Bank of the United States. In 1818, the state of Maryland passed legislation to impose taxes on the bank. James W. McCulloch, the cashier of the Baltimore branch of the bank, refused to pay the tax. (oyez.com) ISSUE: The Court held that Congress had the power to incorporate the bank and that Maryland could not tax instruments of the national government employed in the execution of constitutional powers.

Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989)

In 1986, the state of Missouri enacted legislation that placed a number of restrictions on abortions. Supreme Court's Ruling: In a controversial and highly fractured decision, the Court held that none of the challenged provisions of the Missouri legislation were unconstitutional. (oyez.org)

Grutter v. Bollinger & Gratz v. Bollinger (2002)

In 1997, Barbara Grutter, a white resident of Michigan, applied for admission to the University of Michigan Law School. Grutter applied with a 3.8 undergraduate GPA and an LSAT score of 161. Supreme Court's Ruling: In a 5-4 opinion delivered by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the Court held that the Equal Protection Clause does not prohibit the Law School's narrowly tailored use of race in admissions decisions to further a compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body. (oyez.org