Important Supreme Court Cases

Front 1

Marbury vs. Madison (1803)

Back 1

-said that Supreme Court had right to review all laws made by Congress
-established the idea of Judicial Review
-made Supreme Court more powerful

Front 2

McCulloch vs. Maryland (1819)

Back 2

-said that state could not tax a national bank
-increased power of national gov't

Front 3

Gibbons vs. Ogden (1824)

Back 3

-said that federal gov't (not state gov't) had the power to regulate trade between the states
-increased power of national gov't

Front 4

Dred Scott vs. Sandford (1857)

Back 4

-said that African Americans were not citizens of the US
-also said that Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional
-increased sectionalism

Front 5

U.S. vs. Cruikshank (1876)

Back 5

-said that national gov't could not punish someone for violating the civil rights of individuals
-only states had that power
-violence against African Americans increased in the South during Reconstruction

Front 6

U.S. vs. Reese (1876)

Back 6

-said that 15th amendment did automatically protect the right of African Americans to vote
-only listed the ways that states were not allowed to prevent them from voting
-southern states found other ways to prevent African Americans from voting during Reconstruction

Front 7

Schenck vs. U.S. (1919)

Back 7

-said that free speech could be restricted under certain circumstances, including during wartime
-gov't allowed to prevent people from criticizing the gov't or holding controversial opinions

Front 8

Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896)

Back 8

-said that the idea of "separate but equal" was allowed by the Constitution
-segregation spreads in South

Front 9

Brown vs. Board of Education (1954)

Back 9

-said that the idea of "separate but equal" was unconstitutional
-made segregation in schools illegal