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.
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- Marbury v. Madison
- Established that the Supreme Court can strike down laws as unconstitutional, giving it power of judicial review.
- McCulloch v. Maryland
- Upheld implied powers of Congress beyond those explicitly listed in the Constitution, allowing the federal government to create a national bank.
- Gibbons v. Ogden
- Broadly interpreted federal power to regulate interstate commerce, giving Congress authority over any commerce affecting multiple states.
- Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
- Defined Native American tribes as domestic dependent nations with limited sovereignty, establishing government-to-government relationships.
- Dred Scott v. Sandford
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Upheld the Sherman Antitrust Act, allowing the government to break up monopolies that restrain interstate commerce.
- Muller v. Oregon
- Upheld limits on womens working hours, recognizing that government can regulate working conditions based on public health considerations.
- Schenck v. United States
- 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
- Applied the First Amendment to state governments through the Fourteenth Amendment, beginning the incorporation of the Bill of Rights.
- Meyer v. Nebraska
- Recognized a right to private education, establishing that parents have liberty to choose how to educate their children.
- Pierce v. Society of Sisters
- Struck down compulsory public education laws, protecting parents right to send children to private schools of their choice.
- West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish
- 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.
- Upheld labor rights protections and allowed Congress to regulate labor relations as part of interstate commerce.