U.S. Supreme Court Cases

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Chisholm v. Georgia
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1793 chief Justice: John Jay led to enactment of 11th amendment in 1798: a citizen of a foreign state cannot sue a state (i.e., a person living in Georgia can't sue Massachusetts)
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(John) Jay
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one of the authors of the Federalist Papers; was 2nd governor of NY 1795-1801; 1st chief justice of the US 1789-1795; presided over cases such as Chisholm v. Georgia
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Marbury v. Madison
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1803 chief justice: John Marshall established judicial review: when John Adams was voted out of office, he hurriedly appointed people to positions to keep his policies in effect at midnight the night before his last day; this act was declared unconstitutional as the posts required judicial review
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(John) Marshall
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secretary of state under John Adams from 1800-1801; leading Federalist of his day; 4th chief justice of the US from 1801-1835; presided over cases such as Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden, and Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
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Fletcher v. Peck
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1810 chief justice: John Marshall first found a state law unconstitutional; this case was over the Yazoo lands eyed by Georgia
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Martin v. Hunter's Lessee
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1816 chief justice: John Marshall established Court's appellate power when \"federal questions\" are involved
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appellate jurisdiction
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power of a court to review decisions and change outcomes of cases of lower courts
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McCulloch v. Maryland
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1819 chief justice: John Marshall upheld \"implied powers\" and allowed for interpretation in Congress: a state had attempted to impose a tax on money not chartered in that state; Court invoked Necessary and Proper Clause of Constitution
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Dartmouth College v. Woodward
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1819 chief justice: John Marshall dealt with application of Contract Clause in regards to private institutions, eventually deciding that a charter is a contract--gave rise to American free enterprise system
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Gibbons v. Ogden
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1824 chief justice: John Marshall power to regulate commerce was granted to Congress by the Constitution; Daniel Webster argued for the winning side
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Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
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1831 chief justice: John Marshall a tribe of Native Americans argued against a state that they should be free within their lands and should own their lands, but the Court refused to hear on the grounds that they were a nation dependent upon the state
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Worcester v. Georgia
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1832 chief justice: John Marshall decided that not the state of Georgia, but the federal govt, had authority over the Cherokee nation
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Dred Scott v. Sandford
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1857 chief justice: Roger B. Taney held that blacks in America were not people and therefore not citizens and therefore could not sue; resulted when a slave was taken by his masters to free territories
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(Roger) Taney
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Secretary of the Treasury under Andrew Jackson, Attorney General under Andrew Jackson, and acting Secretary of War under Andrew Jackson; 5th chief justice of the US from 1836-1864; presided over such cases as Dred Scott v. Sandford
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Ex Parte Milligan
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1866 chief justice: Salmon Chase military courts cannot be used for citizens, even in wartime, when a civilian court was available
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(Salmon) Chase
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Secretary of Treasury under Lincoln; governor and senator of Ohio; coined the Free Party slogan: \"free soil, free labor, free men\"; prominent member of the Republican party; 6th chief justice from 1864-1873; presided over cases such as Ex Parte Milligan
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Plessy v. Ferguson
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1896 chief justice: Melville Fuller upheld constitutionality of segregation by the separate but equal clause
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(Melville) Fuller
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8th chief justice of the US from 1888-1910; presided over cases such as Plessy v. Ferguson and Lochner v. New York
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Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey et al. v. US
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1905 chief justice: Melville Fuller found a petroleum company guilty of monopolizing under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act
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Sherman Anti-Trust Act
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passed in 1890, it was the first statute to limit cartels and monopolies; was not put into effect until TR's presidency (1901-1909); requires federal govt to investigate companies deemed \"anti-competitive\"
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Schenck v. US
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1919 chief justice: Edward White a unanimous court ruled that the people who were distributing pamphlets convincing young men to disobey the draft during WWI; opinion written by Oliver Wendell Holmes
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(Oliver Wendell) Holmes (Jr)
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fought in American Civil War; brought USA legal thinking to \"legal realism\"; thoughts: \"the life of the law has not been logic; it has been experience.\" Most famous for his opinion on the Schenck v. US case in 1919
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Brown v. BOE
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1954 chief justice: Earl Warren declared segregation, specifically in schools, illegal; overturned Plessy v. Ferguson; in Topeka, Kansas; major victory of civil rights movement
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(Earl) Warren
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Governor and Attorney General of California; 14th chief justice of the US from 1953-1969; presided over cases such as Gideon v. Wainwright, Reynolds v. Sims, Miranda v. Arizona, Brown v. BOE
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Roth v. US
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1957 chief justice: Earl Warren defined what was \"obscene\" material; ruled that the 1st amendment does not protect obscene material
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Mapp v. Ohio
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1961 chief justice: Earl Warren evidence obtained by illegal means--i.e., without a warrant--cannot be used in court; upholds 4th amendment, which says that without a warrant, a privately-owned place cannot be searched
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Engel v. Vitale
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1962 chief justice: Earl Warren a group of Jewish families in New York sued the public school for publishing a mandatory prayer that the students said every morning; they won
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Escobedo v. Ilinois
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1964 chief justice: Earl Warren similarly to Gideon v. Wainright in the same year, it decided that based on the 6th amendment, criminals have a right to counsel during police interrogation
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Miranda v. Arizona
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1966 chief justice: Earl Warren a rapist and murderer confessed when he was brought in for police questioning, but he was not alerted to his rights to an attorney (et al.) who might have advised him to remain silent; this case decided that any evidence the suspect gives may not be used in court if he was not informed of his rights, now named after that criminal
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Roe v. Wade
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1973 chief justice: Warren Burger on the issue of abortion, the SC decided that ultimately the woman had a right to privacy, but that had to be balanced against the health of the mother and the infant and the trimester of pregnancy; turned over abortion laws in 45 states
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(Warren) Burger
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chief justice of the US from 1969 to 1986; as a conservative, he presided over many cases that involved subjects like abortion and capital punishment; presided over cases such as Roe v. Wade and Regents of the University of California v. Allan Bakke
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(William) Rehnquist
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chief justice of the US from 1986 to 2005; presided over cases such as Clinton v. Jones, Bush v. Gore, Lawrence et al. v. Texas
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US v. Nixon
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1974 chief justice: Warren Burger ruled that the current president was not above the law in regards to the Watergate scandal
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Clinton v. Jones
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1997 chief justice: William Rehnquist a woman with first name Paula filed a suit against a president that he had sexually harassed her; this case held that a president is not above cases filed against him that are completely unrelated to the presidency or even before his taking the presidency
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Bush v. Gore
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2000 chief justice: William Rehnquist in the 2000 election, the votes were too close to have definite standing, so they were manually recounted, but the court held that since the votes are counted differently in different Florida counties, none of the evidence could stand
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Lawrence v Texas
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2003 chief justice: William Rehnquist this case struck down anti-sodomy laws in Texas and held that private homosexual activity is perfectly legal
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