Landmark Supreme Court Cases

Some of the most important cases to pass through the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Last updated: October 26, 2023

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First submitted	April 20, 2022
Times taken	1,761
Average score	34.6%
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Year

Summary

Answer

1803

Gives the Supreme Court the power of judicial review.

Marbury v. Madison

1819

Defined Congress's right to pass laws that are "necessary and proper" and established the supremacy of federal over state government.

McCullough v. Maryland

1824

Only the federal government can regulate interstate commerce.

Gibbons v. Ogden

1857

African-Americans could not claim U.S. citizenship and slaves' status would continue to be 'property'.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

1896

Upheld Jim Crow laws so long as segregated facilities were "separate but equal".

Plessy v. Ferguson

1919

Speech which presents a "clear and present danger" to national security is not protected by the First Amendment.

Schenck v. United States

1954

Reverses the "separate but equal" doctrine in schools.

Brown vs. Board of Education

1961

Evidence that is illegally obtained by the state cannot be used in court.

Mapp v. Ohio

1962

Voting districts cannot be drawn in a way that violates the Fourteenth Amendment.

Baker v. Carr

1962

Public institutions such as schools cannot initiate prayer.

Engel v. Vitale

1963

Defendants in criminal cases must be provided counsel if they cannot afford it.

Gideon v. Wainwright

1964

In order to win a libel case, "actual malice" on the part of the writer must be proven.

New York Times v. Sullivan

1965

The Constitution gives married couples the right to access contraception as a matter of individual privacy.

Griswold v. Connecticut

1966

Criminal suspects must be informed of their rights before being questioned.

Miranda v. Arizona

1967

Bans on interracial marriage are unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Loving v. Virginia

1969

School dress codes may not violate students' First Amendment rights.

Tinker v. Des Moines

1973

The constitutional right to privacy protects a woman's right to abortion.

Roe v. Wade

1974

The President is not above the law.

United States v. Nixon

1989

Protects flag-burning and other desecration of the flag as a matter of free speech.

Texas v. Johnson

2000

Student-led, student-initiated prayer at football games violates the First Amendment's establishment clause.

Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe

2002

Random drug tests of students participating in extracurricular activities do not violate the Fourth Amendment.

Board of Education v. Earls

2003

Criminal punishment for sodomy violates the constitutional right to privacy.

Lawrence v. Texas

2005

To execute a person for crimes they committed before the age of 18 constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

Roper v. Simmons

2010

Corporations and unions cannot be restricted from spending money to promote a political campaign as long as it is done independently of the candidates.

Citizens United v. FEC

2015

Bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Obergefell v. Hodges

2022

Reverses protections on a woman's right to abortion.

Dobbs v. Jackson

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12 Comments

Level 65

Jun 28, 2022

Looks like this needs updating. 😒

Level 68

Sep 16, 2022

thank goodness!

Level 68

Sep 16, 2022

Great idea for a quiz. Ashamed I didn't do a little better, as I read most of these cases in law school. Also, the description for Times v. Sullivan is not quite correct. The case (and the current law) says that you need to prove actual malice in defamation cases regarding a public figure. When a private citizen brings a defamation suit, they do not need to prove actual malice.

Level 77

Sep 16, 2022

"McCullough" is generally spelled McCulloch, might want to add that lowkey

Level 79

Aug 20, 2023

Level 79

Aug 20, 2023

10/26, could not spell McCullough for the life of me

Level 79

Aug 20, 2023

Thank you AP Government from 4 years ago

Level 74

Nov 1, 2023

I might add Bush v Gore.

Level 73

Nov 1, 2023

Please make the spelling easier for "Schenck"!

Level 73

Nov 1, 2023

Also, Dobbs should probably be stated as "The Constitution does not protect abortion" to be more in line with the others.

Level 63

Oct 30, 2024

good quiz!

maybe add Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard?

Level 57

May 2, 2025

I would suggest making this a yellow box quiz so you can't just randomly guess supreme court cases