What is a landmark case Edgenuity?


History >> US Government

Landmark Supreme Court Cases

What is a landmark case?

Landmark cases are important Supreme Court cases where the decisions made on the cases had a lasting impact on the law and future cases.

Why are they important?

Landmark cases are important because they change the way the Constitution is interpreted. When new cases are brought before the courts, the decisions made by the Supreme Court in landmark cases are looked at to see how the judge shall rule. Lawyers cite landmark cases to prove a point and judges cite them to justify their decisions.

Examples of Landmark Cases

There have been a number of landmark cases throughout the history of the Supreme Court. We've listed a few below and described why they are considered important.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

This case is probably the most important case in the history of the Supreme Court. With this case the Supreme Court claimed the power of "judicial review." This is the power to declare laws made by Congress unconstitutional. This power was not given to the Supreme Court by the Constitution.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

This important case rose to the Supreme Court when the state of Maryland tried to tax the Bank of the United States. Maryland claimed that the Constitution did not give the federal government the right to create a bank. However, the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution gave the federal government certain implied powers that are not specifically stated.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

This ruling said that all African Americans, both slaves and free, were not legal citizens of the United States. This meant that they could not sue in federal court. It came about when a slave named Dred Scott tried to sue for his freedom when his owner moved him to a free state and then back to a slave state. The Fourteenth Amendment turned this decision around. Today, Dred Scott v. Sandford is considered by many to be one of the worst rulings in the history of the Supreme Court.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Another case that is now infamous for how bad it was, is Plessy v. Ferguson. This case ruled that segregation based on race was legal. It is famous for using the ruling of "separate but equal" by saying that railway cars could be separated between black people and white people. The ruling was later turned down by the case of Brown v. Board of Education.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

In this case, the court ruled that having separate public schools for black students and white students was unconstitutional. This made segregation in public schools illegal and paved the way to end racial segregation in general. Future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall was the lead lawyer for the NAACP who argued the case before the court.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

This case ruled that suspects of a crime could not be questioned until they had been read their rights. This led to the Miranda Warning where police officers tell a suspect something like "you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you."

U.S. v. Nixon (1974)

In this case, the Supreme Court said that President Richard Nixon had to turn over tapes regarding the Watergate scandal. This ruling set the precedent that the president is not above the law and set limits as to the power of the president.

Activities

  • Take a ten question quiz about this page.

  • Listen to a recorded reading of this page:

To learn more about the United States government:

Works Cited

History >> US Government

  • To understand how the judicial branch works
  • To see how past judicial decisions have affected the law
  • To see how past court cases have affected your everyday life, and your individual rights
  • To predict how past decisions will be applied to current cases and issues

What is a landmark case?

A landmark case is a court case that is studied because it has historical and legal significance.  The most significant cases are those that have had a lasting effect on the application of a certain law, often concerning your individual rights and liberties.

How do courts cases affect law?

Though the judicial branch doesn’t directly make laws, the courts interpret laws through the cases brought before them.  The American legal system is a Common Law system, which means that judges base their decisions on previous court rulings in similar cases.  Therefore, previous decisions by a higher court are binding, and become part of the law.

  • For the most part, courts will try to stay consistent in deciding similar issues.  This is called stare decisis, which is Latin for “let the decision stand.”
  • Decisions of the highest courts – The U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals - must be followed by the federal trial courts.  This is called following precedent.

 What landmark cases will we study?

Use the links at the right to learn more about the Landmark Cases.

  • Your 1st Amendment Rights
  • Your 4th Amendment Rights
  • Civil Rights and Equal Protection
  • The Power of Judicial Review
  • Cases from Missouri

What is meant by a landmark case?

What is a landmark case? A landmark case is a court case that is studied because it has historical and legal significance. The most significant cases are those that have had a lasting effect on the application of a certain law, often concerning your individual rights and liberties.

What is landmark case quizlet?

the power of the U.S. courts to examine the laws or actions of the legislative and executive branches of the government and to determine whether such actions are consistent with the U.S. Constitution. landmark. an important or unique decision, event, fact, or discovery.

What is a landmark case unit test quizlet?

What is a landmark case? a case that sets a precedent for future court decisions.

Why does California have the most seats in the House Edgenuity?

Why does California have the most seats in the House? It is the state with the largest population. It is the state with the largest land area.