Supreme Court Cases

Marbury v. Madison (1803) William Marbury was commissioned Justice of the Peace of the District of Columbia at the end of President John Adams’ term. (Adams was bitter that he’d lost the election to Jefferson and wanted to fill the courts with Federalists.) New President Thomas Jefferson instructed his Secretary of State James Madison not to deliver the orders—keeping the opposing party from taking office. Marbury sued—he wanted the job.

Marbury v. Madison The Supreme Court evaluated this based on the foundation of checks and balances. This established the concept of judicial review, giving the Supreme Court the ability to review the other branches of our government.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) Dred Scott was a slave owned by Army Major John Emerson Scott travelled with Emerson to various states, including several free states Upon the death of Emerson, Scott sued for his freedom Emerson’s widow Eliza’s brother John Sandford was in charge of the will

Dred Scott v. Sandford The Supreme Court ruled against Dred Scott He was not a citizen and therefore could not sue They also determined Scott was not a free man Obviously this is a black mark for the Supreme Court.

Korematsu v. United States (1944) Fred Korematsu was a Japanese American citizen that was ordered into an internment camp through President Roosevelt’s executive order after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Korematsu attempted to avoid being interned.

Korematsu v. United States Korematsu argued he was being discriminated against based on his race. The government argued they needed to protect the country The Supreme Court agreed that the need to protect the country was greater than protecting an individual’s rights.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954) The parents of Linda Brown wanted their daughter to attend the closest public school in Topeka, Kansas—not the black school that was farther away. They argued that this segregation violated the fourteenth amendment

Brown v. Board of Education While segregation was legal under Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the Court sided with the Brown family. Linda was able to attend the school closest to her and the Civil Rights movement was strengthened.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) Does a state have the right to forbid a person to purchase and use birth control? Connecticut had a law in effect since 1879 criminalizing the use of birth control. Estelle Griswold and Dr. C. Lee Buxton were arrested and found guilty of providing birth control through Planned Parenthood. And this was to married people!

Griswold argued that the Connecticut law violated the Fourteenth Amendment, which states, "no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law ... nor deny any person the equal protection of the laws.“ And she won!

Miranda v. Arizona (1966) Ernesto Miranda was arrested, but was not informed of his fifth and sixth amendment rights. He and his lawyer eventually sued the state of Arizona. The Court agreed and now all police must take the proper steps by issuing the Miranda Warning.

The Miranda Warning

Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District (1969) John and Mary Beth Tinker and their friend Chris Eckhardt wore black armbands to school in Des Moines, Iowa, to protest the war in Vietnam. School officials told them to remove the armbands, and when they refused, they were suspended. With their parents, they sued the school district, claiming a violation of their First Amendment right of freedom of speech.

The Court sided with the students, saying no one gave up their Constitutional right to free speech when they entered school. BUT, it cannot interfere with classwork or activities.

Roe v. Wade (1973) Jane Roe was an unmarried and pregnant resident of Texas who wanted an abortion In 1970s Texas, abortions were illegal unless the mother’s life was in jeopardy Henry Wade was the Dallas County district attorney

Roe v. Wade The Supreme Court ruled in Roe’s favor They said her rights were guaranteed in the 1st, 4th, 5th, 9th, and 14th Amendments This also eliminated any state laws that prohibited first trimester abortions Norma McCorvey later came forward and admitted she was Jane Roe

Ingraham v. Wright (1977) James Ingraham was disruptive during a school assembly. His principal decided to give him five swats and when James complained, gave him 15 more. James had bruises that kept him home for ten days and he had to see a doctor. Was this cruel or unusual punishment?

The Supreme Court sided with the school. Corporal punishment is a district decision, although some states do not allow it at all. The Court did caution administrators and teacher to use restraint.

New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985) Do schools have the right to search a student’s private property? What reasons do they have to have to search? This case was based on two girls that were caught smoking in the bathroom—instead of in the designated area. T.L.O. was the pseudonym for Tracy Lois Odem who denied smoking and had her purse searched.

New Jersey v. T.L.O. In addition to the cigarettes, the assistant vice principal also found drugs and other items that showed T.L.O. was dealing marijuana. The Court sided with the school, although they agreed a “reasonable suspicion” was needed to perform a search.

Texas v. Johnson (1989) Gregory Johnson doused an American flag with kerosene and set it on fire during a political protest and demonstration in Texas. Is this protected under the first amendment?

Texas v. Johnson Johnson (on the right) offended a lot of people by burning this symbol of America. The Supreme Court sided with Johnson and said this symbolic speech was protected

Vernonia School District v. Acton (1995) Do schools have the right to drug test students? 12-year old James Acton wanted to try out for the 7th grade football team, but drug testing was mandatory for all athletes at the start of the season and randomly during. James parents refused to allow him to be tested. The school banned James from participating in sports for the season.

The Supreme Court sided with the school. There really isn’t an invasion of privacy and the school has to do all it can to keep the students away from drugs.

Bush v. Gore (2000) We’ve discussed this one before. At the end of the election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, the race was very close. It came down to Florida; whomever won the state of Florida would become President. The U.S. Supreme Court stepped in to decide the question of recounts and ballot disputes, perhaps overstepping their boundaries.

Santa Fe Independent School District v. Jane Doe (2000) Before football games, a student selected “chaplain” would lead the crowd in a prayer. Several parents and students sued stating this was a first amendment violation (freedom of religion).

Even though this prayer was student-led, it was school-sponsored Even though this prayer was student-led, it was school-sponsored. Therefore the Court sided with the students and parents. Students can pray at any time in any way throughout the school day, but school teachers and administrators can not be in charge.

Roper v. Simmons (2005) We have discussed how minors can be tried as adults. Should persons under 18 potentially be executed for their crimes? Christopher Simmons was sentenced to death at age 17 for the planned burglary and murder of a woman. Donald Roper was the superintendent at the prison where Simmons was being held.

The Court decided that as a society we have evolved to the point that executing a minor is wrong. Pre-Roper minimum ages for executions by state No capital punishment—green Minimum age of 18—yellow Minimum age of 17—orange Minimum age of 16—red

Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015 James Obergefell and his partner John Arthur decided to marry. They lived in Ohio where it was illegal, so they travelled to Maryland for the ceremony. Richard Hodges was director of Ohio’s Department of Health. He refused to list Obergefell as Arthur’s spouse on his death certificate. Marriage Equality is the law!