Here are some of the court cases that we have examined throughout the year:
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
In the final days of his presidency, John Adams tried to appoint judges for the Court to maintain federalist power using the Judiciary Act of 1801. When the commissions were not delivered because Jefferson told James Madison not to, William Marbury, who would have become a judge under the new legislation, sued. Supreme Court ruled that the Judiciary Act was unconstitutional and the principle of judicial review was established.
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Prohibited Maryland from taxing the Second Bank of the United States.
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia and Worcester v. Georgia (1831/1832)
The Cherokee people in Georgia argued that they should not be included in the Indian Removal Act. The court ruling in these cases supported the fact that the Cherokee people were a nation in the state of Georgia and therefore should not be subject to the removal act.
Fletcher v. Peck (1810)
Upheld the idea of honoring contracts. In this particular case, the Supreme Court upheld a corrupt land deal between Georgia and certain individuals.
Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)
Dred Scott was a slave who had been in several territories, some of which were free. Scott sued for his freedom but the Supreme Court did not find his argument valid. They declared that no African Americans were entitled to citizenship.
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
In this case, Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" facilities were constitutional (segregation upheld by the court).
Schenck v. United States (1919)
Charles Schenck and other members of the Socialist party were arrested for making their anti war sentiments public, violating the Espionage and Sedition Acts of 1918. Upheld the belief that rights such as freedom of speech could be taken away during wartime.
The Scopes Trial
John Scopes was arrested for violating the Butler Act which prohibited the teaching of evolution. He was fined $100 and sparked controversy regarding the public education.
Korematsu v. United States (1944)
Executive Order 9066 called for the detainment of all Japanese citizens in internment camps, even if they were born in America. Fred Korematsu refused to leave his home and appealed to the Supreme Court, who convicted him. They said that relocation was acceptable if it was in the name of national security.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Oliver Brown's eight year old daughter was forced to go to an African American school that was a mile away despite a white school being much closer. The court unanimously ruled that separate but equal was unconstitutional; segregation was no longer legal.
Roe v. Wade (1973)
This court revolved around the constitutionality of abortion. The Supreme Court ruled that states could not prohibit women from having abortions during the first two trimesters and helped establish the right to privacy.
These are just the cases that I remember examining in class, so I am sure that I missed a few. Feel free to add any that you feel may be important for tomorrow's test.
It's important to note the relationship between Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and Brown v. Board of Education (1954).
ReplyDeleteWhereas the Supreme Court ruled segregation of blacks and whites on account of the "separate but equal" doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education essentially reversed its decision in Plessy v. Ferguson by ruling segregation of facilities inherently unequal.
I've often seen this relationship mentioned in multiple choice questions, so just be aware of how the two relate!
I think it's good to also interesting to note that Jackson did not comply with the Court's decision of Cherokee Nation v. Georgia and Worcester v. Georgia.
ReplyDeleteOne other landmark case that might be important to know is Griswold v. Connecticut of 1965. In this case the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Constitution gives people the right to protection of their privacy. The case involved a Connecticut law that prohibited people from using any sort of contraceptive. It violated the "right to marital privacy."
ReplyDeleteSource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griswold_v._Connecticut