Landmark US Supreme Court cases and the constitutional principle each established, at a general-audience level. Front: the case name. Back: a one to two sentence explanation of its ruling and significance.
35 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- Marbury v. Madison
Show answer
Established that the Supreme Court can strike down laws as unconstitutional, giving it power of judicial review.- McCulloch v. Maryland
Show answer
Upheld implied powers of Congress beyond those explicitly listed in the Constitution, allowing the federal government to create a national bank.- Gibbons v. Ogden
Show answer
Broadly interpreted federal power to regulate interstate commerce, giving Congress authority over any commerce affecting multiple states.- Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
Show answer
Defined Native American tribes as domestic dependent nations with limited sovereignty, establishing government-to-government relationships.- Dred Scott v. Sandford
Show answer
Ruled that African Americans were not citizens and slavery was constitutionally protected in all territories, contributing to causes of the Civil War.- Plessy v. Ferguson
Show answer
Established the separate but equal doctrine, allowing racial segregation if facilities were equal, a principle that lasted until Brown v. Board.- Lochner v. New York
Show answer
Struck down maximum work hour laws as violations of economic liberty, establishing an era of strong protection for business before judicial deference returned.- Northern Securities Co. v. United States
Show answer
Upheld the Sherman Antitrust Act, allowing the government to break up monopolies that restrain interstate commerce.- Muller v. Oregon
Show answer
Upheld limits on womens working hours, recognizing that government can regulate working conditions based on public health considerations.- Schenck v. United States
Show answer
Established the clear and present danger test, allowing limits on free speech when it poses an immediate threat to national security.- Gitlow v. New York
Show answer
Applied the First Amendment to state governments through the Fourteenth Amendment, beginning the incorporation of the Bill of Rights.- Meyer v. Nebraska
Show answer
Recognized a right to private education, establishing that parents have liberty to choose how to educate their children.- Pierce v. Society of Sisters
Show answer
Struck down compulsory public education laws, protecting parents right to send children to private schools of their choice.- West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish
Show answer
Upheld minimum wage laws, overruling the Lochner era and establishing that courts should defer to economic regulation by legislatures.- National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp.
Show answer
Upheld labor rights protections and allowed Congress to regulate labor relations as part of interstate commerce.
FlashKeepers