1. Landmark Supreme court cases

2. Marbury v. Madison 1803 DECISION
Established the concept of Judicial Review: the Supreme court has the final authority to find acts of government unconstitutional

3. McCulloch v. Maryland What happened DECISION Supremacy Clause (1819)
Maryland tried to put a tax on a branch of the Bank of the US
DECISION
A state cannot tax a federal institution
Supremacy Clause (1819)

4. Gibbons v. Ogden What happened DECISION Supremacy Clause (1824)
Ogden had NY state license to ferry people from NYC to NJ, Gibbons also ferried people but had no state license but did have a federal coasting license
DECISION
The Federal government has the power over the state to regulate interstate commerce. Federal ferry license prevails over a State Ferry License (no NY monopoly)
Supremacy Clause (1824)

5. Dred Scott v. Sandford What happened DECISION 5th Amendment (1857)
Sandford lived in MO (a slave state) took Dred Scott to IL (a free state) and Scott said he was now free
DECISION
States cannot deprive a person of his right to property
5th Amendment (1857)

6. Plessy v. Ferguson What happened DECISION 14th Amendment (1896)
Plessy (1/8 of African decent) sat in white only train car, would not move when asked
DECISION
Established the concept of “separate but equal” in public facilities
14th Amendment (1896)

7. Brown v. Board of Education
What happened
Mr. Brown wanted his daughter to attend the neighborhood school (she was black and the school was for whites)
DECISION
Schools were desegregated. Separate is unequal. Separate but equal has no place
Integrated schools
Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson
14th Amendment (1954)

8. Swann v. CMS Board of Education
What happened
Mr. Swann said CMS was not integrated even though Brown v. Board of Ed said that segregation is not okay
DECISION
Court ordered busing to integrate schools
This decision changed the landscape of CMS schools by forcing the busing of students outside their neighborhood school
This lead to forced desegregation of schools
14th Amendment (1971)

9. Tinker v. Des Moines What happened DECISION 1st Amendment (1969)
Students wore black arm bands protesting Vietnam War, they were suspended
DECISION
A student does not shed his rights at the door. Black armbands to protest the Vietnam War can be worn since they are not disruptive.
1st Amendment (1969)

10. Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier What happened DECISION 1st Amendment (1988)
Students wrote an article the principal would not allow to be published in the school newspaper
DECISION
Schools can filter or limit information that is placed into a school newspaper.
This case allows school officials to have full control of school sponsored activities
Activities can continue “so long as their actions are reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns
1st Amendment (1988)

11. Texas v. Johnson What happened DECISION 1st Amendment (1989)
Texas had a law against desecrating the Flag, Mr. Johnson burned a Flag in protest
DECISION
The Government cannot limit a citizen’s right to burn the US Flag
This case protected the rights of individuals to freedom of expression, even if in this case that expression is the burning of the American flag
1st Amendment (1989)

12. Engel v. Vitale What happened DECISION 1st Amendment (1962)
School board required students to say a prayer at beginning of each day
DECISION
A school cannot require students to pray. This court case upheld separation of church and state.
Establishment Clause
Eliminated prayers in school
Students cannot be forced to recite a prayer because it violates their 1st Amendment right to freedom of religion
1st Amendment (1962)

13. Mapp v. Ohio What happened DECISION 4th and 14th Amendment (1962)
Police searched Mapp’s house with a fake warrant and found illegal material
DECISION
Illegally obtained evidence cannot be used in court.
Illegal Evidence and Due Process Clause
No illegal search and seizures applied to all states
Before this rule not every state incorporated excluding evidence gained through an illegal search
Exclusionary Rule
4th and 14th Amendment (1962)

14. Gideon v. Wainwright What happened DECISION 6th Amendment (1963)
Gideon charged with crime, at that time in FL lawyers only given for death penalty and insanity cases, he had no money to pay a lawyer and was found guilty
DECISION
All accused persons are entitled to a lawyer, even if they cannot afford one.
Right to Counsel
Person must have counsel provided, regardless of the charges filed against them
Gideon Rule
6th Amendment (1963)

15. Miranda v. Arizona What happened DECISION 5th Amendment (1966)
Miranda arrested but not told his right to not confess to the crime, he signed a confession and was convicted
DECISION
A person must be read his or her rights before being arrested.
When Ernesto Miranda was arrested and questioned and signed a confession that listed that he had “full knowledge of his legal rights”, he was not made aware of his rights to counsel and the confession was illegally gained.
5th Amendment (1966)

16. Furman v. Georgia What happened DECISION 8th and 14th Amendment (1971)
Georgia death penalty law vague and so most death row inmates were Black men
DECISION
Capital Punishment and the enforcement of the death penalty cannot be racially biased
8th and 14th Amendment (1971)

17. Olmstead v. US What happened/Decision 4th Amendment (1928)
“Reasonable expectation of privacy” did not include wiretapping. 4th amendment does not protect individuals form wiretapping. And this evidence may be used in court.
4th Amendment (1928)

18. Roe v. Wade What happened/Decision 4th Amendment (1973)
A state cannot take away a woman’s right to an abortion
4th Amendment (1973)

19. New Jersey v. T.L.O. What happened DECISION 4th Amendment (1985)
2 students caught smoking in bathroom, sent to VP, asked to open purses, VP found rolling paper used for marijuana, asked students to dump out purses, found money, marijuana, and list of people owing her money
DECISION
Schools are only required to have “reasonable suspicion” to search students
4th Amendment (1985)

20. Worcester v. Georgia (1832)
- Georgia law required whites living on Cherokee Indian territory to
obtain a state permit.
- Seven missionaries were arrested & sentenced to four years hard
labor, followed by exile from Georgia for failing to comply.
- The missionaries stated they didn't seek a state license because they
believed their petition would be refused.
- Court ruling: Georgia was not entitled to regulate the Cherokee nor
invade their lands = Cherokee won recognition as a distinct political
community.
- President Andrew Jackson refused to abide by the
Supreme Court decision.
= Cherokee “Trail of Tears” (Van Buren
administration).

21. The History of Leandro
In May 1994, parents, school boards and students from five low-wealth counties (Cumberland, Halifax, Hoke, Robeson and Vance) against the State Board of Education and the State of North Carolina. Some of the poorest counties in the State said that the State did not provide enough money for them to provide their children with a quality education. The lawsuit is commonly known as Leandro, after a named plaintiff in the case.
Six urban school districts also asked to be parties to the Leandro lawsuit, stating that the state funding formula did not provide them with sufficient money to educate their at-risk students and students for whom English is not their first language. [ Asheville City, Buncombe County, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Durham County, Wake County, and Winston-Salem-Forsyth]
Eventually the matter was heard by the North Carolina Supreme Court. In 1997, the Supreme Court breathed new life in the case by finding that our state constitution guarantees “every child of this state an opportunity to receive a sound basic education in our public schools.”

22. Definition of a Sound Basic Education
“(1) Sufficient ability to read, write and speak the English language and sufficient knowledge of fundamental mathematics and physical science to enable the student to function in a complex and rapidly changing society;
(2) sufficient fundamental knowledge of geography, history and basic economic and political systems to enable the student to make informed choices with regard to issues that affect the student personally or affect the student’s community, state, and nation;
(3) sufficient academic and vocational skills to enable the student to successfully engage in post-secondary education or vocational training;
(4) sufficient academic and vocational skills to enable the student to compete on an equal basis with others in further formal education or gainful employment in contemporary society.”
Leandro v. State , 346 N.C. 336, 347, 488 S.E.2d 249, 255 (1997)