13 Supreme Court Cases

Marbury v. Madison Facts: That U.S. Secretary of State James Madison must deliver judicial commissions issued by his predecessor to their rightful recipients. Ruling: The petition was denied and was uncostitutional. Plessy v. Ferguson Facts: That Louisiana's law requiring blacks and whites to ride in separate railway cars violated Plessy's right to equal protection under the law. Ruling: Ruled in favor of Ferguson by finding that Louisiana's law providing for "separate but equal" treatment for blacks and whites was constitutionally valid. Brown v. The Board of Education Facts: That racial segregation of public schools denied black schoolchildren equal protection of the law as guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. Ruling: Ruled in favor of Brown by finding that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Mapp v. Ohio Facts: That convicting her with evidence obtained during an illegal search violated the Fourth Amendment. Ruling: The Supreme Court reversed Mapp's conviction. Gideon v. Wainwright Facts: The Sixth Amendment right to legal counsel for defendants unable to afford an attorney should apply equally to the states. Ruling: The Sixth Amendment applies to the states and they are required to provide defendants charged with serious crimes and unable to afford an attorney with legal counsel. Tinker v. Des Moines Facts: That suspending them from school for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War violated the freedom of speech. Ruling: The Supreme Court struck down the school regulation that resulted in the suspensions. Texas v. Johnson Facts: The demonstrators were protesting the policies of the Reagan Administration and of certain companies based in Dallas. They marched through the streets, shouted chants, and held signs outside the offices of several companies. At one point, another demonstrator handed Johnson an American flag stolen from a flagpole outside one of the targeted buildings and set the flag on fire. Ruling: Supreme Court of the United States that invalidated prohibitions on desecrating the American flag in force in 48 of the 50 states. Justice William Brennan wrote for a five-justice majority in holding that the defendant's act of flag burning was protected speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution Nixon v. Fitzgerald Facts: That a president should not be held legally liable for his actions while performing the duties of his office. Ruling: Ruled in favor of Nixon by holding that the president possesses absolute immunity from civil lawsuits while performing his official duties. Furman v. Georgia Facts: That the Georgia death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment under the Eight and Fourteenth Amendments. Ruling: Georgia's death penalty statute was unconstitutional. Miranda v. Arizona Facts: In 1963, Ernesto Miranda was arrested for robbery and other criminal activities. During the trial, Miranda's confession of guilt was used as evidence against him. Ruling: Miranda was found guilty in 1966. Months later, the Court said that it was illegal to arrest a citizen without informing the person of his or her rights. This decision set the precedent that all suspected criminals must be read their rights while being arrested. The courts then developed the Miranda Rights, which state suspected criminal's rights given in the 5th and 6th amendments. Roe v. Wade Facts: A woman's right to have an abortion Ruling: The Court rested these conclusions on a constitutional right to privacy emanating from the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, also known as substantive due process. Gibbons v. Ogden Facts: That a New York state law granting exclusive rights to individuals to operate steamships in New York waters while conducting interstate commerce violates the Constitution's Commerce Clause. Ruling: Ruled in favor of Gibbons by finding that steamship navigation is part of commerce and that states could not pass laws regulating steamship traffic operating between two or more states. McCulloch v. Maryland Facts: That a Maryland state tax imposed on the Bank of the United States was unconstitutional interference with federal government activities by the state. Ruling: Ruled in favor of McCulloch by finding that Congress had a constitutional power to establish a national bank and states could not legally interfere with federal law.