Supreme Court Cases - Landmark Decisions

Question 1

This Marshall Court decision was the first to assert (claim) Judicial Review.

Answer 1

Marbury vs. Madison (1803)

Question 2

What is meant by the term ‘Judicial Review’?

Answer 2

The Supreme Court has the right to declare a law of Congress or an action of the President to be either UNCONSTITUTIONAL (not allowed) or CONSTITUTIONAL (allowed).

Question 3

This Marshall Court decision ruled that the power to tax is the power to destroy and that a state within the country does NOT have the power to tax the Federal Government (or any agency of the Federal Government).

Answer 3

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Question 4

This Marshall Court ruling reaffirmed the power of the Federal Government to regulate INTERSTATE COMMERCE, declaring a New York law regulating steamboat commerce between NY and New Jersey to be invalid.

Answer 4

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824). Gibbons won because only the Federal Government can regulate interstate commerce. Ogden was seeking protection of a NY law that gave him (Ogden) the sole right to operate his steamboat operation across the Hudson River from NY to NJ.

Question 5

This ruling said that Georgia had NO POWER to pass laws affecting the Cherokee Indians because only the Federal Government had power (jurisdiction) to regulate Indian (Cherokee) affairs.

Answer 5

Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

Question 6

This ruling said that slaves are not citizens…they are PROPERTY. Also, the ruling said that the Missouri Compromise was UNCONSTITUTIONAL because Congress cannot ban slavery (property rights) in any territory.

Answer 6

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Question 7

This ruling allowed an Illinois law regulating railroad rates because the movement of grain was closely related to the public interest (interest of everybody).

Answer 7

Munn v. Illinois (1876)

Question 8

This ruling declared UNCONSTITUTIONAL an Illinois law that regulated interstate railroad rates because ONLY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT can regulate INTERSTATE commerce.

Answer 8

Wabah, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad v. Illinois (1886)

Question 9

What was the background, Constitutional issue, and ruling in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?

Answer 9

Plessy was 1/8 black and riding in a segregated, all-white railroad car in Louisiana. He is thrown out of that car. He claimed his Equal Protection Under The Law rights were violated. The court ruled that Separate, But Equal is allowed. This increased segregation (Jim Crow Laws) throughout the South.

Question 10

What is important about the Progressive Era case of Northern Securities Co. vs. United States (1904)?

Answer 10

The court ruled that the Federal Government WAS ALLOWED to break up the Northern Securities Co. MONOPOLY using the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. This helped make Teddy Roosevelt a “Trustbuster.”

Question 11

What issue do both Lochner v. New York (1905) and Muller v. Oregon (1908) deal with?

Answer 11

They both deal with the question of whether the government interfere with and regulate a work arrangement (contract) between an employer and an employee. In Lochner, the Court said NO. In Muller, the Court said YES…because the 2nd case involved women’s work hours.

Question 12

What is significant about the case of Standard Oil vs. United States (1911)?

Answer 12

Standard Oil was considered a monopoly (trust) and broken apart into smaller companies to avoid a harmful monopoly.

Question 13

What is the central issue in the case of Schenck vs. United States (1919)? How did the court rule?

Answer 13

The central issue is Freedom of Speech during a crisis/war. The Court ruled AGAINST Schenck, saying that his free speech rights COULD BE LIMITED if there was a “clear and present danger.”

Question 14

How did FDR respond to the Court’s ruling in Schechter Poultry Company vs. United States (1935)?

Answer 14

The Court ruled that part of FDR’s New Deal was unconstitutional. Therefore, FDR tried to “pack” the Supreme Court with justices who would be more friendly to (rule in favor of) the New Deal. His “Court Packing Plan” failed.

Question 15

What is the background, constitutional issue, and ruling in the Korematsu vs. United States (1944) case?

Answer 15

Fred Korematsu wanted to resist his relocation under FDR’s Executive Order 9066. He was arrested. He claimed his Equal Protection rights were violated. He lost. The Government WAS ALLOWED to remove Japanese Americans because we were at war.

Question 16

What is the background, constitutional issue, and ruling in the Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) case?

Answer 16

Linda Brown wanted to go to school in her neighborhood, but the school was for Whites Only. Her family sues, claiming a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The Court ruled that Separate, But Equal was inherently UNEQUAL. This led to the INTEGRATION (END OF SEGREGATION) of Public Schools….eventually.

Question 17

How did Southern States react to the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ruling?

Answer 17

The South resisted/refused the ruling. Some states even closed their schools for days, weeks, months or even a year.

Question 18

What is the relationship between the ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) and Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896)?

Answer 18

Brown overturned (reversed) the Plessy vs. Ferguson ruling. Plessy allowed segregation. Brown outlawed segregation…at least in schools.

Question 19

What did President Eisenhower have to do in 1957 to enforce the Brown vs. Board decision from 1954?

Answer 19

Eisenhower had to send Federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to escort black students into Central High School in Little Rock after the Arkansas Governor refused to follow the Brown decision.

Question 20

What do the decisions of the Marshall Court (early 1800s) have in common?

Answer 20

They INCREASED (Expanded) the power and supremacy of the Federal Government over the states.

Question 21

What do the decisions of the Warren Court, especially Mapp v. Ohio, Gideon v. Wainwright, and Miranda v. Arizona have in common?

Answer 21

They protected the rights of the accused…those people accused of crimes or wrongdoing.

Question 22

The case of Heart of Atlanta Motel vs. United States (1964) upheld what Federal law?

Answer 22

The Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Heart of Atlanta Motel did not think it had to follow the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and allow blacks to stay in their motel. The Court said they did have to allow it and the Civil Rights Act was constitutional.

Question 23

What group of people were affected (the subject of) the cases of Tinker vs. Des Moines, Engel v. Vitale, New Jersey v. TLO, and Vernonia v. Acton?

Answer 23

Students. All of these cases deal with the rights of students in school. Sometimes, the students won (Tinker and Engel cases) while other times the student lost (New Jersey v. TLO and Vernonia v. Acton).

Question 24

What is the main issue in the case of the New York Times vs. United States?

Answer 24

Freedom of the Press. This case involved the New York Times publishing the Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War.

Question 25

What is the main controversial issue in the case of Roe v. Wade?

Answer 25

Abortion rights…a woman’s right to privacy to have an abortion if she chooses. This created the Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life conflict in America today.

Question 26

What is the main issue in the case of United States v. Nixon?

Answer 26

Nixon had secret tapes relevant to Watergate and claimed he did NOT have to turn them over due to “Executive Privilege.” The Court said Nixon MUST turn over the tapes.

Question 27

What controversial program is the subject of the case of Regents of the University of California vs. Bakke (1978)?

Answer 27

Affirmative Action - The practice of trying to make up for past mistreatment and/or discrimination against minority groups through preferential hiring and admission into college.

Question 28

What is the background, Constitutional issue, and ruling in the case of New Jersey v. TLO (1985)?

Answer 28

TLO caught smoking in girls bathroom in school, but denied it. Principal searched purse and found drugs/drug dealing evidence. TLO arrested. TLO claims a violation of her 4th amendment (search warrant) rights. TLO loses as the school search was deemed “reasonable.”