C.3.11

Landmark U.S. Supreme Court

Cases

3/3/2017

Marbury v. Madison

1803: Marbury v. Madison James Madison (Secretary of State) and William Marbury (Justice appointment)

Marbury v. Madison

1803: Marbury v. Madison James Madison (Secretary of State) and William Marbury (Justice of the Peace appointment—one of the 42 “midnight judges”)

Result: Court could now rule on the constitutionality of the acts/actions of the other two branches Consistent with checks and balances approach

1. Constitutional Principal (s): Checks and Balances

2. Outcome: Marbury lost

3. Impact? Established that the Supreme Court has the power of judicial

review

Categorizing the Benchmark:

Civil Rights

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)—”… If one race be inferior to the

other socially, the Constitution of the United States cannot put

them upon the same plane.”

B. C.

Categorizing the Benchmark:

Civil Rights

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)—”… If one race be inferior to the

other socially, the Constitution of the United States cannot put

them upon the same plane.”

1. Constitutional Principal (s): Is Louisiana's law requiring racial

segregation on its trains an unconstitutional violation of the equal

protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?

2. Outcome: Plessy lost

3. Impact? The idea of “separate but equal” led to racial segregation in the

U.S. “separate but equal” spaces in public places.

B. C.

3/3/2017

Brown v. Board of Education I (1954)—”We conclude that in the

field of education ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate

educational facilities are inherently unequal.”

Categorizing the Benchmark:

Civil Rights

3/3/2017

Brown v. Board of Education I (1954)—”We conclude that in the

field of public education ‘separate but equal’ has no place.

Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”

Categorizing the Benchmark:

Civil Rights

1. Constitutional Principal (s): Is the practice of segregation a vilolation

of the 14th amendment?

2. Outcome: Brown Won

3. Impact? Segregation based on race was made illegal in the U.S.but

equal” spaces in public places.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

1. Constitutional Principal (s): Did the state court's failure to appoint counsel for Gideon violate his right to a fair trial and due process of law as protected by the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments?

2. Outcome: Gideon won (9-0)

3. Impact? All U.S. courts must provide free attorneys to those who cannot afford one. Justice Hugo Black: “lawyers in criminal courts are necessities, not luxuries.“

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

The Court considered the constitutionality of defendants being questioned "while in custody or otherwise deprived of [their] freedom in [a] significant way."

1. Constitutional Principal (s): Does interrogating individuals without notifying them of their right to counsel and their protection against self-incrimination violate the Fifth Amendment?

2. Outcome: Miranda won (5-4)

3. Impact: All people, upon arrest, must be read their “Marianda rights”

Miranda Card

3/3/2017

1. Principal: Were the procedures used to commit [arrest] Gault

constitutional under the due process clause of the Fourteenth

Amendment?

2. Outcome: Gault won

3. Impact: juveniles have the same due process rights as adults

In re Gault (1967)

Tinker v. Des Moines

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

1. Principle: Does a prohibition against the wearing of armbands in public

school, as a form of symbolic protest, violate the First Amendment's

freedom of speech protections?

2. Outcome: Tinker won (7-2)

3. Impact:

Established students do have

freedom of speech at school

as long as it is not disrupt

3/3/2017

U.S. v Nixon

1. Principle: Is the president protected under

executive privilege?

3/3/2017

U.S. v Nixon

1. Principle: Is the president protected under

executive privilege?

2. Outcome: Nixon lost

3. Impact: Upheld rule of law

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)

The Spectrum, the school-sponsored newspaper of Hazelwood East High

School, was written and edited by students. In May 1983, the school principal

received the page proofs for the May 13 issue. He found two articles to be

inappropriate, and ordered that articles be withheld from publication. Cathy

Kuhlmeier and two other former Hazelwood East students brought the case to

court.

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)

1. Principle: Did the principal's deletion of the articles violate the students'

rights under the First Amendment?

2. Outcome: Hazelwood school won (5-3)

3. Impact: Student’s freedom of speech is limited at school

3/3/2017

Bush v. Gore

Do manual recounts, without consistent standards,

violate the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of

the Constitution?

3/3/2017

Bush v. Gore

Do manual recounts, without consistent standards,

violate the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of

the Constitution?

1. Principle: 14th amendment

2. Outcome: Bush won

3. Impact: This case also impacted election laws

throughout the nation.

3/3/2017

D.C. V. Heller

1. Principle: 2nd amendment

2. Outcome: Heller won

3. Impact: This case also impacted gun laws

throughout the nation.