Important U.S. Supreme Court Decisions
Court Case	Year	Situation			Right or Issue		Court Decision
Marbury v. Madison	1803	The Court was asked to decide if a man should receive an appointment as a justice of the peace.			Federalism, Separation of Powers		This case established the Court’s power of judicial review [power to declare law/action constitutional or not.]. SC declared the law creating Marbury’s job unconstitutional.
Engel v. Vitale	1962	A short, voluntary prayer was said in NY schools at the start of each day			1^st Amendment: Establishment of religion		Sponsorship of a prayer by a school was unconstitutional
Abington School District v. Schempp	1963	Students read 10 Bible verses and recited the Lord’s Prayer in the morning; they could be excused with a parent’s note.			1^st Amendment: Free Exercise & Establishment of Religion; 14^th Am.: Equal Protection of the Laws		Even being excused from a religious activity in school does not make it constitutional.
Furman v. Georgia	1972	The defendant received the death penalty for killing a man while burglarizing a home.			8^th Amendment: Cruel and unusual punishment		Capital punishment is constitutional; however, it cannot be automatic.
Vernonia School District v. Acton	1995	A student refused to take the random drug tests his school system required for participation in athletics.			4^th: Unreasonable Search		Individual privacy rights may be limited due to the need for security and safety in a school setting.
Plessy v. Ferguson	1896	A state operated separate railroad cars for Black and White passengers.			14^th: Equal Protection of the Laws		“Separate but equal” facilities were ruled constitutional
Brown v. Board of Education	1954	Black children were denied admission to public schools attended by White children.			14^th Amendment: Equal Protection of the Laws (Racial Discrimination)		“Separate but equal” schools were really unequal, and, therefore, unconstitutional; starts process of desegregation of schools
University of California v. Bakke	1978	A White male was denied entry into medical school that had reserved 16 of 100 spots for minorities.			Affirmative Action; !4^th Amend> EPOTL [AA = “reverse discrimination]		Affirmative action programs may use race as one (but not the only ) factor in selecting from applicants
Texas v. Johnson	1989	A man was sentenced to jail for burning an American flag as part of a protest.			1^st Amendment: Freedom of Speech (Expression)		A form of speech may not be prohibited because it is “offensive or disagreeable.”
Tinker v. Des Moines (p. 132)	1969	Three students were suspended for wearing prohibited black armbands to protest the Vietnam War.			1^st Amendment: Freedom of Speech (Expression)		Students may wear clothing that is not disruptive and which does not infringe others’ rights.
Roe v. Wade	1973	Texas law prohibited a woman from having an abortion.			14^th Amendment: “Right to privacy”		States cannot ban abortions during the first trimester.
Korematsu v. United States	1945	The US ordered Japanese-Americans into detention camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.			Power to declare war; Power to command armed forces; Equal protection of the law		The President had the authority to order this, even if it did affect only Japanese-Americans.
Gideon v. Wainwright (p. 439, 459)	1963	The defendant in a breaking and entering case asked for a lawyer because he could not afford one, but was refused.			6^th Amendment: Right to an attorney; 14^th Amendment: EPOTL		As a result of this case, lawyers (public defenders) are now provided for defendants who cannot afford one.
Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg	1971	Many schools in this system were still over 99% Black.			14^th Amendment: Equal Protection of the Laws; also Federalism & Judicial Power		The court ordered busing of students to achieve desegregation. An example of judicial activism
Worcester v. Georgia	1832	A state violated treaties the federal government had made with the Cherokee Indians.			Federalism		President Jackson refused to enforce this Supreme Court order.
New York Times v. U.S.	1971	The Nixon administration attempted to prevent the publication of classified papers (the “Pentagon Papers”) regarding the Vietnam War.			1^st Amendment: Freedom of the Press		The govt. must prove harm to the nation’s security would occur to prevent publication of something
Wallace v. Jaffree	1985	An Alabama law authorized teachers to a minute of silence to be used “for meditation or silent prayer.”			1^st Amendment: Establishment Clause		The Court said the state was not neutral toward religion because the intent was to allow prayer.
Dred Scott v. Sanford	1857	A slave claimed he was free because his owner had moved into a “free state.”			Slavery; Citizenship		The Court declared that Blacks were not US citizens. This decision was reversed by the 13^th and 14^th Amendments.
Mapp v. Ohio	1961	Police enter a home and gather evidence without a search warrant.			4^th: “unreasonable search and seizure”;		In state courts, as well as federal, illegally seized evidence could not be used. (Exclusionary Rule)
U.S. v. Nixon	1974	The President refused to hand over recordings that had been subpoenaed by Congress, claiming “executive privilege.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQzhnXZW6_E			Separation of Powers		The right to executive privilege is limited primarily to military or diplomatic affairs.
Gibbons v. Ogden	1824	Out-of-state steamboats had to pay high fees to navigate in NY waters.			States Rights or Federal Power (Federalism); power to regulate interstate commerce		Because of the Supremacy Clause, Congress has authority to regulate interstate trade on waterways.
Schenck v. U.S.	1919	During WWI a man was arrested for passing out pamphlets urging resistance to the draft.			1^st Amendment: Freedom of Speech		Freedom of speech can be limited when it poses a “clear and present danger” to others.
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier	1988	A principal ordered two articles withheld from a school newspaper.			1^st Amendment: Freedom of Speech		Schools may refuse to sponsor some student speech based on content.
Miranda v. Arizona (p. 438)	1966	The defendant was questioned & made a confession w/o a lawyer present.			5^th Amendment: no self-incrimination; 6^th amendment: right to an attorney		Because of this case, defendants are told they have the right to remain silent & to have a lawyer
Gault v. Arizona (in re Gault)	1967	A juvenile was tried without attorney present, without facing his accuser; he also received a stiffer sentence than an adult would have.			5^th Amendment: Due Process of law		Due Process applies to juveniles as well as adults.
New Jersey v. T.L.O.	1985	A 14-year-old was accused of smoking in the bathroom; her purse was searched and drugs were found			4^th Amendment: Unreasonable Search and Seizure; 14^th Amend.: Equal Protection of the Laws		“Reasonable suspicion” is grounds for a search in a school setting; no warrant is needed.
McCullough v. Maryland	1819	The state of Maryland attempted to tax the Second National Bank, but James McCullough, the bank cashier, issued bank notes without paying the required tax.			Federalism, Implied Powers		Congress may do things (such as establish a bank) not listed in the Constitution due to the necessary and proper clause; also, a state may not intrude into the constitutional actions of the federal government. [Confirmed Implied Powers.]
Lemon v. Kurtzman	1971	Several states provided financial assistance to pay for books, supplies, and teachers’ salaries in Catholic schools.			1^st Amendment: Establishment of Religion		The Lemon Test: Govt. involvement with a religious activity should (1) have a secular purpose; (2) neither advance nor inhibit religion, and (3) avoid excessive entanglement of govt. and religion.
Reynolds v. Simms	1964	Alabama law gave each county approximately the same number of state senators and representatives, regardless of population.			14^th Amendment: Equal Protection of the Laws		Established the “one person, one vote rule”: voting districts must be nearly equal in population
Klopfer v. North Carolina (p.368)	1967	A Duke University professor was arrested for trespassing in a sit-in in Chapel Hill in 1964. After a mistrial, he was not retried nor were charges dropped.			6^th Amendment: Speedy Trial; 14^th Amendment: EPOTL		Due Process must be followed by states, as well as to the federal government.
Bush v. Gore	2000	The Presidential election in Fla. was so close that a recount was held.			EPOTL (14^th)		SC stopped recount, effectively gave Presidency to Bush.
North Carolina Supreme Court Cases
Bayard v. Singleton	1787		Loyalist Elizabeth Byard attempted to reclaim property seized during the Revolutionary War.	Judicial Review, on a state level		Court stuck down the Confiscation Act.
State v. Mann	1830		Slaveholder John Mann was convicted for beating his slave.	Slavery		The State Supreme Court ruled slavery was legal, but questioned its morality.
Leandro v. North Carolina	2002		Five NC counties (which spend much less per pupil than other NC counties) claimed the state was not giving their children “adequate or educational opportunities.”	NC Constitution Article I, Section 15: “The people have a right to the privilege of education, and it is the duty of the State to guard and maintain that right.”		The state constitution does not require equal funding of education. However, Judge Howard Manning orders the state “to remedy the Constitutional deficiency for those children who are not being provided (1) well-trained teachers, (2) effective principals, and (3) sufficient school funding.