C963 Supreme Court Cases Guide (2022)

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Dec 6, 2023

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C963 Significant Supreme Court Cases How to Use This Resource: This document includes the 34 U.S. Supreme Court cases that you want to study for the Objective Assessment. This list re-organizes those significant Supreme Court cases by broad theme. Supreme Court Cases #1: Defining the Power of the Federal Government The following cases were key to defining the power of the Federal government in the early years of our Republic. Court Case Summary of Issue/Decision Key Constitutional Issue / Amendments Marbury v. Madison (1803) McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) Barron v. Baltimore (1833) Supreme Court Cases #2: Freedom of Religion The following cases were key to defining the nature of Freedom of Religion, the boundaries of government involvement with religion (Establishment clause), and the boundaries of government involvement with the free exercise of religion. Court Case Summary of Issue/Decision Key Constitutional Issue / Amendments Sherbert v. Verner (1963) Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. (2014) Supreme Court Cases #3 – Freedom of Speech The following cases were key to defining the boundaries of 1 st amendment free speech and the line between freedom and security in our Republic. 1

Court Case Summary of Issue/Decision Key Constitutional Issue / Amendments Freedom to Engage in Protest Speech During the Vietnam War Gillette v. United States (1971) Tinker v. Des Moines (1971) Cohen v. California (1971) Freedom to Engage in Protest Speech in Other Cases West Virginia Bd. Of Education v. Barnette (1943) Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969) Texas v. Johnson (1989) Freedom of the Press/Media New York Times Co. v. The United States (1971) Branzburg v. Hayes (1972) Miller v. California (1973) Supreme Court Cases #4 – Civil Liberties and Civil Rights in the Criminal Justice Process The following cases were key to defining the complex nature of national, state, and local government obligations to not intrude into our civil liberties and government requirements to ensure our civil rights in the criminal justice process. Court Case Summary of Issue/Decision Key Constitutional Issue / Amendments Civil Liberties/Rights and Due Process in Legal Matters Mapp v. Ohio (1961) Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) Miranda v. Arizona (1966) Furman v. Georgia 2

(1972) 2 nd Amendment and Limits on the Right to Bear Arms Heller v. District of Columbia (2008) McDonald v. Chicago (2010) US vs. Miller (1939) Supreme Court Cases #5 – Civil Liberties/Civil Rights and “We, The People” The following cases were key historical cases in the evolution of civil rights. From early cases like Plessy v. Ferguson that reinforced racial segregation and inequality, later 20 th and 21 st century cases spotlight the complex balance of national, state, and local government obligations to not intrude into our civil liberties and government requirements to ensure our civil rights are maintained, protected, and expanded for ALL residents of our country. Court Case Summary of Case / Decision Key Constitutional Issue/ Amendments Addressing Civil Rights for African Americans Dred Scott v. Sandford (1856) Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS (1954) Miller v. Johnson (1995) Addressing Civil Rights for Assorted American Communities Korematsu v. United States (1944) Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) Addressing 9 th Amendment’s Implied Right to Privacy and other Amendments Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) Roe v. Wade (1973) 3

Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) Supreme Court Cases #6 – Campaign Finance The following cases were key to defining the role of finance in the conduct of political campaigns and political electioneering by individuals and organizations for national elected offices. Court Case Summary of Case / Decision Key Constitutional Issue/ Amendments Buckley v. Valeo (1976) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) STUDY STRATEGIES TO REMEMBER THE U.S. SUPREME COURT CASES: Studying the names of the cases or even written text about the facts and importance of the case can be hard. To help enhance your understanding and your ability to RECALL information later, try the following strategies: 1. Draw the Court case: Draw pictures that shows key elements of the court cases listed above to help with your ability to learn and recall the information later. 4

Figure 1. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS (1954) 2. Bring the Court case to life: Imagine the court case playing out like a video or audio recording in your mind. When you can remember the court case as something actually happening , you will remember it more effectively. For example, use Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS. In your mind, imagine two schoolhouses. The White American schoolhouse is shiny and new. The students have new desks, new textbooks, and a new brick building. The African American schoolhouse is broken down. The roof is leaking water into the classroom. The books are 20 years old and tattered. The wood on the building is crumbling along the corners. Now, picture the Supreme Court in their black robes saying: “Separate facilities are inherently UNEQUAL. There is no place for ‘separate but equal’ facilities in American society.” Can you see or hear that in your mind? Good! 3. Teach it Back to Someone: Explain the court case back to a family member, friend, colleague, instructor, or pet. The action of putting ideas into words and speaking those words will help you both remember the concepts and identity any gaps in understanding. 5

SUMMARY OF U.S. SUPREME COURT CASES INTRODUCTION: The 34 U.S. Supreme Court cases (mainly connected to Section 4 in your studies) on this list are selected as the ‘tip of the iceberg’ from the 1,000s of Supreme Court cases. These historic cases stand out as significant court cases in U.S. history. These cases have shaped the power of the U.S. federal and state governments, have defined the meaning and limits to fundamental liberties (freedoms), and have helped ensure that ALL Americans share the same fundamental rights of equal protection, due process, and equal treatment by the government and in society. These Supreme Court cases help you understand the complex, complicated American stories of our nearly 250- year quest to create a more perfect union. Marbury v. Madison (1803) This Supreme Court case established the principle of judicial review wherein the Supreme Court has the power to declare laws passed by Congress and/or actions taken by a President to be unconstitutional (in violation of the power granted to the Congress or the President in the Constitution). In the Marbury v. Madison case, the Supreme Court ruled that Section 13 of the Judiciary Act of 1789 was in violation of the Constitution and that Congress did not have the power to reinterpret Article III of the U.S. Constitution by giving court-appointed judges the ability to file a lawsuit directly with the U.S. Supreme Court as the original jurisdiction to hear the case. McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) This Supreme Court case involved the Supreme Court first providing a broad interpretation of the Necessary and Proper Clause (aka the Elastic Clause) that has given Congress the implied power to pass a wide range of laws that can be justified as ‘necessary and proper’ to carry out its enumerated powers listed in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. In this case, the State of Maryland challenged the U.S. Congress ability to establish the 2 nd National Bank, arguing that Congress did not have the Constitutional power to establish a bank. The Supreme Court opinion gave a broad interpretation of the “Necessary and Proper clause” (i.e., a loose constructionist interpretation of the Necessary and Proper clause). In other words, the Court said Congress could assume a wide range of additional power to create laws as long as they could be justified within one of the enumerated powers expressly granted to the Congress. Another aspect of the case stated that Maryland cannot tax the National Bank money held in the Baltimore branch, since the U.S. Constitution, Article 6 Supremacy Clause reinforces that the bank’s money belongs to ALL Americans, not just the people of Maryland (and so cannot be taxed by one state). 6

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