Supreme Court Decisions

Led to the enactment of the 11th Amendment(1798), which established that federal courts have no authority in suits by citizens against a state, thus preventing a citizen of another state from suing a state

Declared the Judiciary Ant of 1789 unconstituitional and void. The principle of "judicial review" was first asserted and established with this decision, althouh the Court first exercised the power of judicial review in Hylton v. United States in 1796 when it upheld the constitutionality of a Congressional tax

First found a state law to be unconstitutional

Established the Court's appellate power when "federal questions" are involved (see Cohens v. Virginia)

Upheld the doctrine of implied powers of the Constitution and allowed for a liberal interpretation by Congress

Ruled that a charter is a contract, which the Constitution protects against state legislative interference

Along with Martin v. Hunter's Lessee, established that a uniform interpretation aplloied for "federal questions" and that the court's scope of jurisdiction was founded on the doctrine of national supremacy

Estalished the basis for federal regulatory powers in the area of interstate commerce-it also established the precedent that Congress can invalidate contradictory laws of the states especially concering the granting of monopoly privileges

Established the "original package" docctrine of goods if the "original package" were imports and subject to congressional and not state regulation

Ruled that it had no jurisdiction since the Cherokee Nation was a "domestic dependent nation" with no standing in court either as citizens or as a foreign nation, thus upholding Georgia's laws over the territory it claimed as its own

Declared a Georgia law to be unconstitutional by ruling that Georgia laws were not applicable withing the territorial boundaries fo the Cherokee nation and that Federal Jurisdiction over the Cherokee was exclusive

Declared a Congressional Act to be unconstitutional, stating that Congress could not pass a law depriving citizens of their property without due process of law

Declared that neither Congress nor the President could institute military tribunals to try civilians, even during wartime, in areas where civil courts were available as the Consitution "is a law for rules and people equally in war and in peace"

5 cases in which the court restricted the scope of federal authority by holding that the 14th Amendment did not protect the invasion of civil rights by individuals in effect the Court allowed racial discrimination against blacks by private persons

Established a constitutional foundation for the "separate-but-equal" doctrine in upholding a Louisiana law requiring segregated railroad facilities since the separated black facilities were equal to the efacilities for others

Ruled that a 10-hour-day law for bakers was unconstitutional because it violated "freedom of contract" between employer and employee (reversed in 1937)

Upheld the dissolution of the mighty company as it applied the "rule of reason" to the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890

Ordered the reorganization rather that the dissolution of the company based on the "rule of reason"

Ruled that the government cannot restricct freedom of speech unless the speech creates a "clear and present danger" leading to evils that Congress is empowered to protect against

Along with other cases from 1925 to 1932, established that most of the guarantees in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution were applicable to the states

"Sick Chicken Case" unanimously invalidating the National Industrial Recovery Act by ruling that Congress could not "delefate legislative" powers to the executive and could not regulate wholly intrastate business

Decided that the federal government is empowered to regulate local labor union activities, upholding the Wayne Act

Ruled that President Truman's seizure of the nation's steel mills to prevent strike was unconstitutional- this was the first time a presidential action was ruled unconstitutional

reversed the Plessy v. Ferfuson decision that established the "separate but equal" doctrin and thus declaed for the first time that sgregation was unconstitutional

Defined obscentiy and ruled that the 1st Amendment

the Constitution does not protect the publication of obscene material

Eliminated the use of evidence obtained by illegal means from criminal trials

Allowed courts to listen to citizens' complains about unequal election districts, ended reapportionment of political districts in favor of rural areas, and led to reappotionment decisions based on a "one man, one vote" basis

Ruled a non-denominational prayer by the New York Board of Reents to be unconstitutional

Struck down the state law requiring the reading of the Bible and the recitation of the Lord's Prayer

held that public officials acting in an official capacity could not sue for libel unless they proved actual malice

Exended coverage of the 14th Amendmen to indigent defendants for courtappointed counsel

Declared that all state legislators must be elected by the rule of "one person. on vote" meaning that election districts must be roughly equal in population

Prohibited a confession from being used as evidence if the accused person has been denied permission to see a lawyer

Established the Miranda Rule that suspects must be informed of their rights

"Pentagon Papers Case" Holding that prior censorship by the government was unconstitutional and any attempt to block publication would violate the 1st Amendment

Ruled that the death penalty impsed by state sourts was unconstitutional under the 8th and 14th Amendments

Held that reporters were not constitutionally privileged under the 1st Amendment to refuse to reveal their sources to a valid grand Jury during an investiation or criminal trial

Struck down two states laws banning abortion during the first six months of pregnancy as a vilation of privacy based on the 14th Amendment, and, by implication, overturned restrictive abortion laws in 44 other states

Established a detailed set of standards for evaluationg obscenity and thus gave more power to states and local governments to determine what material is obscene

Held that the Supreme Court and not the President is the final judge of the Constitution

Prohibited specific quotas from being used by university and college admission programs to achieve racial balance

Upheld patent of creating new lifeforms from manmade microorganisms

Refused to extend any constitutional right of privacy to homosexual activity

Ruled that sexual harassment is a form of discrimination prohibited under the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Ruled that states cannot limit the number of terms their senators and representatives may serve in Congress

Struck down a Colorado constitutional provision that barred legislation protecting homosexuals from discrimination

Declared that a sitting President does not have temporary immunity from a lawsuit for actions outside the realm of official duties

Ruled that manual recouns of presidential ballots in the 2000 election could not continue because the inconsistent evaluation standards in different Florida counties violated the equal protection clause, a ruling that, in effect, handed the election to Bush

University of Michigan case ruling that colleges and universities cannot use point systems blindly in favoring minority applicants

Michigan Law School case ruling that colleges and universities may favor minority students as long as each applicant's background is fully assessed

Ruled that homosexuals are entitles to the right of privacy and that private sexual conduct is not a crime