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Aguilar v. Felton 

Aguilar v. Felton Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 provided funding “to local educational institutions to meet the needs of educationally deprived children from low . . .

Austin v. United States 

Austin v. United States, decided by a 9-0 vote, June 28, 1993; Blackmun wrote the opinion. Frustrated in the fight against drug trafficking and other lucrative crimes, law enforcement officials decide . . .

Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc. 

Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc. An Indiana statute outlawed appearing in a public place “in a state of nudity,” and, as the law applied to entertainment, female dances had to wear at least p . . .

Batson v. Kentucky 

Batson v. Kentucky James Kirkland Batson, an African American, was prosecuted in Kentucky for second-degree burglary. At trial, the prosecutor used his peremptory challenges to remove all blacks in t . . .

Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics 

Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics Federal narcotics agents entered Bivens's apartment without a warrant, manacled him in front of his wife and children, threatened to . . .

Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet 

Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet The village of Kiryas Joel is a tiny enclave inhabited exclusively by members of a small orthodox Jewish sect—the Satmar Hasi . . .

Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens 

Westside Community Board of Education v. Mergens The Supreme Court's decisions in the early 1960s prohibiting sponsored prayer or Bible readings in public elementary and secondary classrooms provoked . . .

Bowers v. Hardwick 

Bowers v. Hardwick A Georgia statute criminalized consensual sodomy, providing up to twenty years imprisonment for anyone who “performs or submits to any sexual act involving the sex organs of . . .

Bowsher v. Synar 

Bowsher v. Synar The purpose of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 was to eliminate the federal budget deficit. If, in any fiscal year, the federal budget deficit exceeded . . .

Bray v. Alexandria Women's Health Clinic 

Bray v. Alexandria Women's Health Clinic Beginning in the late 1980s, a militant antiabortion group calling itself Operation Rescue adopted the strategy of physically blocking the entrances to clinic . . .

Buckley v. Valeo 

Buckley v. Valeo In 1971 Congress passed two statutes to regulate campaign contributions and to substitute public money for private funds in presidential campaigns. In 1974, in the wake of the Waterg . . .

Califano v. Goldfarb 

Califano v. Goldfarb Leon Goldfarb sued because a federal statute denied him Social Security payments because he had not been receiving at least half of his support from his spouse, Hannah Goldfarb, . . .

Carey v. Population Services International 

Carey v. Population Services International A New York statute prohibited the sale of contraceptives to anyone under sixteen, the sale of contraceptives except by licensed pharmacists, and the adverti . . .

Central Bank of Denver, N.A. v. First Interstate Bank of Denver, N.A. 

Central Bank of Denver, N.A. v. First Interstate Bank of Denver, N.A., decided by a 5-4 vote, April 19, 1994; Kennedy wrote the opinion; Stevens, Blackmun, Souter, and Ginsburg dissented. The financia . . .

Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. 

Chevron U.S.A. v. Natural Resources Defense Council Congress became involved in the quality of the nation's environment in the 1950s and 1960s. The post–World War II boom had created industrial . . .

Chisom v. Roemer, Governor of Louisiana; United States v. Roemer, Governor of Louisiana 

Chisom v. Roemer, Governor of Louisiana; United States v. Roemer, Governor of Louisiana, decided by a 6-3 vote, June 20, 1991; Stevens wrote the opinion; Scalia, Rehnquist, and Kennedy dissented. In t . . .

Cipollone v. Liggett Group, Inc. 

Cipollone, Individually and as Executor of the Estate of Cipollone v. Liggett Group, Inc., decided by a 7-2 vote, June 24, 1992; Stevens wrote the opinion; Scalia and Thomas dissented. Cigarette manuf . . .

City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co. 

City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co. In 1983 Richmond, Virginia, adopted the Minority Business Utilization Plan, which was modeled on federal “minority set-aside” programs. The ordinance r . . .

Cohen v. Cowles Media Co. 

Cohen v. Cowles Media Co. The dispute at the heart of this case arose from the 1982 Minnesota gubernatorial race, in which Dan Cohen, a Republican political consultant, offered to turn over to report . . .

Coker v. Georgia 

Coker v. Georgia (433 U.S. 584), decided by votes of 7-2 and 6-3, June 29, 1977. White wrote an opinion announcing the court's decision and setting out the views of four justices; Brennan and Marshall . . .

Committee for Public Education & Religious Liberty v. Nyquist 

Committee for Public Education & Religious Liberty v. Nyquist The New York legislature appropriated funds for the maintenance and repair of religiously affiliated schools, tuition reimbursement grant . . .

Craig v. Boren 

Craig v. Boren An Oklahoma law prohibited the sale of 3.2 percent beer to men under age twenty-one and women under eighteen. Two men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one, Curtis Craig and Mark . . .

Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health 

Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health While Nancy Cruzan was driving home from work, her car hit a patch of ice. The car flipped over, and she was thrown out, landing face down in a shall . . .

Dames & Moore v. Regan 

Dames & Moore v. Regan In response to the seizure of American citizens working in the American Embassy in Tehran, President Jimmy Carter froze all assets of the Iranian government within the United S . . .

Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 

Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. For more than two decades, doctors prescribed the drug Bendectin for pregnant women to control the common, and sometimes serious, problem of nausea or  . . .

DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services (489 U.S. 189) 

DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services (489 U.S. 189), decided by a 6-3 vote, Feb. 22, 1989. Rehnquist wrote the opinion; Brennan, Marshall and Blackmun dissented. A county social . . .

Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Co. 

Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Co. Thaddeus Donald Edmonson, an African American construction worker, was injured in a job-site accident in Fort Polk, Louisiana, and sued Leesville Concrete Company f . . .

Edwards v. Aguillard 

Edwards v. Aguillard Louisiana's creationism act—formally called “Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and Evolution-Science in Public School Instruction”—prohibited the pu . . .

Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith 

Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith Alfred Smith was a member of the Klamath tribe of southern Oregon, and, after a number of difficult years involving drug and alco . . .

Erznoznik v. City of Jacksonville 

Erznoznik v. City of Jacksonville A Florida statute prohibited drive-in movie theaters from showing films containing nudity if the screen was visible from a street or public place. Richard Erznoznik, . . .

Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation 

Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation In October 1973 a New York City radio station owned by Pacifica Foundation played a twelve-minute monologue by Grammy Award-win . . .

Firefighters Local Union #1784 v. Stotts 

Firefighters Local Union #1784 v. Stotts, decided by a 6-3 vote, June 11, 1984. White wrote the opinion; Brennan, Marshall and Stevens dissented. Federal judges may not override a valid seniority syst . . .

First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti 

First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti Two national banks and three corporations sued the attorney general of Massachusetts to challenge a state criminal statute forbidding banks and corporations . . .

Flood v. Kuhn 

Flood v. Kuhn, decided by a 5-3 vote, June 19, 1972. Blackmun wrote the opinion; Powell did not participate; Douglas, Brennan and Marshall dissented. Professional baseball remains exempt from federal . . .

Frontiero v. Richardson 

Frontiero v. Richardson Sharon Frontiero, a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, challenged a federal statute that provided an extra housing allowance and extra medical benefits to all married men in th . . .

Fullilove v. Klutznick 

Fullilove v. Klutznick The “minority business enterprise” (MBE) provision of the Public Works Employment Act of 1977 required that at least 10 percent of all federal funds disbursed for l . . .

Furman v. Georgia 

Furman v. Georgia This case involved three appeals from death penalty convictions, one for murder and two for rape. The cases came from Georgia and Texas. The majority held that the death penalty, as . . .

Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority 

Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority The question before the Supreme Court was whether the San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority (SAMTA), a public transit authority organized on . . .

Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. 

Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. Elmer Gertz, a Chicago lawyer, represented the family of a young boy named Nelson, who had been shot by Nuccio, a Chicago police officer. Nuccio was eventually convicted o . . .

Gravel v. U.S., U.S. v. Gravel 

Gravel v. U.S., U.S. v. Gravel, decided by a 5-4 vote, June 29, 1972. White wrote the opinion; Douglas, Stewart, Brennan and Marshall dissented. The constitutional immunity of members of Congress ext . . .

Gregg v. Georgia 

Gregg v. Georgia In Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972), the Court struck down all of the nation's death penalty statutes. The Court said that because the statutes failed to provide . . .

Harris v. Forklift Systems, Inc. 

Harris v. Forklift Systems, Inc. An employee claiming job discrimination on the basis of sexual harassment must prove the existence of a “hostile” or “abusive” work environmen . . .

Harris v. McRae 

Harris v. McRae The Medicaid program was established in 1965 as Title XIX of the Social Security Act. Title XIX provided federal financial assistance to states to reimburse certain costs of medical t . . .

Herrera v. Collins 

Herrera v. Collins The question of whether the Constitution permits the government to execute an innocent person was at issue in the case of a Texas prisoner, who, long after his 1982 conviction for . . .

Hodgson v. Minnesota, Minnesota v. Hodgson 

Hodgson v. Minnesota, Minnesota v. Hodgson, decided by separate 5-4 votes, June 25, 1990; Stevens wrote the opinion striking down a statute that required a teen-age girl to notify both biological pare . . .

Holder v. Hall 

Holder v. Hall, decided by a 5-4 vote, June 30, 1994; Kennedy wrote a plurality opinion; Blackmun, Stevens, Souter, and Ginsburg dissented. Black voters in a tiny county in central Georgia mounted a l . . .

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. v. Oberg 

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. v. Oberg, decided by a 7-2 vote, June 24, 1994; Stevens wrote the opinion; Ginsburg and Rehnquist dissented. Five times since 1980, business and insurance groups had gotten the . . .

Hustler Magazine, Inc. v. Falwell 

Hustler Magazine v. Falwell Hustler magazine ran a parody of an advertisement on the inside front cover of its November 1983 issue. Copying the format of a Campari Liqueur advertisement featuring pub . . .

Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha 

Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha Jagdish Rai Chadha, an East Indian born in Kenya, held a British passport when he was lawfully admitted to the United States in 1966 on a student visa . . .

Ingraham v. Wright 

Ingraham v. Wright Challenging the constitutionality of corporal punishment in public schools, junior high school students James Ingraham and Roosevelt Andrews sued the Dade County, Florida, public s . . .

Jacobson v. United States 

Jacobson v. United States This case began in February 1984, when Keith Jacobson ordered two issues of a magazine called Bare Boys, which contained photographs of nude preteens and teenagers. Althoug . . .

Johnson v. Transportation Agency, Santa Clara County 

Johnson v. Transportation Agency, Santa Clara County In 1980 Paul E. Johnson, an employee for the Transportation Agency in Santa Clara County, California, was passed over for promotion to road dispat . . .

Johnson, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives v. De Grandy 

Johnson, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives v. De Grandy, decided by a 7-2 vote, June 30, 1994; Souter wrote the opinion; Thomas and Scalia dissented. The Supreme Court closed its 1992-19 . . .

Keeney, Superintendent, Oregon State Penitentiary v. Tamayo-Reyes 

Keeney, Superintendent, Oregon State Penitentiary v. Tamayo-Reyes, decided by a 5-4 vote, May 4, 1992; White wrote the opinion; O'Connor, Blackmun, Stevens, and Kennedy dissented. The Supreme Court co . . .

Laird v. Tatum 

Laird v. Tatum, decided by a 5-4 vote, June 26, 1972. Burger wrote the opinion; Douglas, Brennan, Stewart and Marshall dissented. Persons who cannot claim that their own activities have been affected . . .

Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School District 

Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School District A dispute between a small evangelical Christian church and a school district in eastern Long Island, New York, over showing films about chi . . .

Lassiter v. Department of Social Services 

Lassiter v. Department of Social Services In 1975 a North Carolina court determined that Abby Gail Lassiter's infant son, William, was neglected after hearing evidence that Lassiter failed to obtain . . .

Lee v. Weisman 

Lee v. Weisman When Daniel Weisman's older daughter graduated from Nathan Bishop Middle School in Providence, Rhode Island, a Christian clergyman gave the traditional invocation and benediction. The . . .

Lemon v. Kurtzman 

Lemon v. Kurtzman The Court decided three cases—Lemon v. Kurtzman from Pennsylvania and Earley v. DiCenso and Robinson v. DiCenso from Rhode Island and developed a test, known as the Lemon tes . . .

Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council 

Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council In 1986 David H. Lucas paid $975,000 for two beachfront lots, on which he intended to build single-family houses. Two years later, South Carolina passed the Be . . .

Lujan, Secretary of the Interior v. National Wildlife Federation 

Lujan, Secretary of the Interior v. National Wildlife Federation, decided by a 5-4 vote, June 27, 1990; Scalia wrote the opinion; Blackmun, Brennan, Marshall, and Stevens dissented. The National Wildl . . .

Lynch v. Donnelly 

Lynch v. Donnelly The town of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, annually placed a holiday “ display” in a private park owned by a nonprofit organization. The city owned the materials in the displa . . .

Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association 

Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association Native Americans sought to enjoin the U.S. Forest Service from building a six-mile road in a national forest, claiming the road would interrup . . .

Madsen v. Women's Health Center, Inc. 

Madsen v. Women's Health Center, Inc. Lawyers for the Aware Woman Center for Choice, in Melbourne, Florida, went to state court claiming that antiabortion demonstrators were trying to close the facil . . .

Marsh v. Chambers (463 U.S. 783) 

Marsh v. Chambers (463 U.S. 783), decided by a 6-3 vote, July 5, 1983. Burger wrote the opinion; Brennan, Marshall and Stevens dissented. The First Amendment ban on establishment of religion is not of . . .

Maryland v. Craig 

Maryland v. Craig, decided by a 5-4 vote, June 27, 1990; O'Connor wrote the opinion; Scalia, Brennan, Marshall, and Stevens dissented. States may shield victims of child abuse by allowing them to test . . .

McCleskey v. Kemp 

McCleskey v. Kemp In 1978 a jury in Atlanta, Georgia, convicted Warren McCleskey, an African American, for killing a white policeman during a robbery. The jury recommended the death sentence. After u . . .

McFarland v. Scott, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division 

McFarland v. Scott, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division, decided by 6-3 and 5-4 votes, June 30, 1994; Blackmun wrote the opinion; O'Connor dissented in part; Thomas, . . .

Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson (477 U.S. 57) 

Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson (477 U.S. 57), decided by a 9-0 vote, June 19, 1986. Rehnquist wrote the opinion. In its first ruling on the issue, the court held that sexual harassment in the work pla . . .

Metro Broadcasting, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission 

Metro Broadcasting, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission In an endorsement of affirmative action, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress may order preferential treatment of blacks and other minor . . .

Michael H. v. Gerald D. (491 U.S. 110) 

Michael H. v. Gerald D. (491 U.S. 110), decided by a 5-4 vote, June 15, 1989. Scalia wrote the opinion; White, Brennan, Marshall and Blackmun dissented. The Court refused to invalidate a state law tha . . .

Michael M. v. Superior Court of Sonoma County 

Michael M. v. Superior Court of Sonoma County Michael M., a seventeen-and-a-half-year-old boy, was charged with violating California's statutory rape law for having sex with a girl under eighteen yea . . .

Miller v. California 

Miller v. California In this case, the Supreme Court tried to resolve the conflict between the efforts of communities to regulate obscene material and the freedom of expression and of adults to read . . .

Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan 

Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan The state-supported Mississippi University for Women had, historically, limited its enrollment to women. In 1971 the university established a nursing school, . . .

Mistretta v. United States 

Mistretta v. United States Congress passed the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 to standardize criminal punishments. The impetus for the law was the recognition that without uniform guidelines for sente . . .

Moore v. City of East Cleveland 

Moore v. City of East Cleveland Inez Moore lived in the City of East Cleveland with her son and his child. Another grandson, John, moved in with Moore after his mother died. Under a city housing ordi . . .

Morrison v. Olson 

Morrison v. Olson In the aftermath of the Watergate scandals and, in particular, the firing of Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox by President Richard Nixon, Congress enacted the Ethics in Government A . . .

NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co. (458 U.S. 886) 

NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co. (458 U.S. 886), decided by an 8-0 vote, July 2, 1982. Stevens wrote the opinion; Marshall did not participate in the decision. A non-violent 1966 boycott by civil righ . . .

National League of Cities v. Usery 

National League of Cities v. Usery When it was first enacted, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) did not apply to state employees. In 1961 Congress amended the act to apply its minimu . . .

National Organization for Women, Inc. v. Scheidler 

National Organization for Women, Inc. v. Scheidler Frustrated in their efforts to overturn abortion rights rulings in the Supreme Court or Congress, opponents of abortion in the 1990s took their figh . . .

New Jersey v. T.L.O. 

New Jersey v. T.L.O. T.L.O., a fourteen-year old freshman, and a companion were discovered smoking by a teacher at Piscataway High School in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Smoking was a violation of a . . .

New York Times Co. v. United States 

New York Times v. United States The case collectively known as the Pentagon Papers Case —New York Times Company v. United States and United States v. The Washington Post Company —was prof . . .

Nixon v. Administrator of General Services 

Nixon v. Administrator of General Services Former president Richard Nixon entered into an agreement regarding the disposition of his presidential papers and recordings with Arthur F. Sampson, the hea . . .

Nollan v. California Coastal Commission 

Nollan v. California Coastal Commission James and Marilyn Nollan owned beachfront property in Ventura County, California. They leased their property with an option to buy, which was conditioned on th . . .

Northern Pipeline Construction Co. v. Marathon Pipe Line Co. 

Northern Pipeline Construction Co. v. Marathon Pipe Line Co. In this case, the Supreme Court held that Congress's grant of full Article III jurisdiction to Article I bankruptcy courts was unconstitut . . .

Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Haslip 

Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Haslip, decided by a 7-1 vote, March 4, 1991; Blackmun wrote the opinion; O'Connor dissented; Souter took no part in the case. The Court held that juries have broa . . .

Parham v. J.R. 

Parham v. J.R. Three minor children challenged the Georgia commitment scheme that allowed parents to “voluntarily” commit their children to state mental health care. The district court fo . . .

Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton 

Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton The state of Georgia sought to enjoin the proprietor of an adult film emporium from exhibiting two movies alleged to be obscene. The Georgia Supreme Court held that th . . .

Payne v. Tennessee 

Payne v. Tennessee Pervis Tyrone Payne was convicted by a Tennessee jury of the murders of a woman and her two-year-old daughter and of assault with intent to murder her three-year-old son. During hi . . .

Penn Central Transportation Company v. New York City 

Penn Central Transportation Company v. New York City New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission refused to allow the owners of the city's historic Grand Central Terminal to build a fifty-story . . .

Personnel Administrator of Massachusetts v. Feeney 

Personnel Administrator of Massachusetts v. Feeney (442 U.S. 256), decided by a 7-2 vote, June 5, 1979. Stewart wrote the majority opinion; Marshall and Brennan dissented. A state does not violate the . . .

Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth 

Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth This case was a “logical and anticipated corollary” to Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), and Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179 . . .

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey 

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey Ever since the ruling in Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), abortion opponents had tried to get legislation enacted that would make it difficul . . .

Plyer v. Doe 

Plyer v. Doe Illegal alien parents sued to enjoin the state of Texas from enforcing its law prohibiting the children of illegal aliens from attending Texas public schools. The district court and the . . .

R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul 

R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul Early one morning in June 1990, R.A.V. and several other teenagers burned a cross in the front yard of a black family who had recently moved into their neighborhood. Althou . . .

Reed v. Reed 

Reed v. Reed When Richard Lynn Reed, a minor, died without a will, both of his parents petitioned to be appointed the administrator of his estate. At the time Sally Reed and Cecil Reed were legally s . . .

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke 

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke The University of California at Davis Medical School set aside sixteen spaces in its entering class of one hundred for African American, Hispanic, Asi . . .

Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v. Virginia 

Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v. Virginia Between July 1976 and June 1978 John Paul Stevenson was tried three times for murder. His initial conviction was reversed by the Virginia Supreme Court. Two othe . . .

Roe v. Wade 

Roe v. Wade Jane Roe, a pseudonym for Norma McCorvey, an unmarried pregnant woman in Dallas, Texas, wanted to terminate the pregnancy and brought suit in 1970 to prevent the Dallas County prosecutor, . . .

Rostker v. Goldberg 

Rostker v. Goldberg The Selective Service Act allowed the president to require registration of young men for the purposes of potential conscription. Although the registration process had been discont . . .

Rummel v. Estelle 

Rummel v. Estelle (445 U.S. 263), decided by a 5-4 vote, March 18, 1980. Rehnquist wrote the opinion; Powell, Brennan, Marshall and Stevens dissented. The Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual pun . . .

Rust v. Sullivan 

Rust v. Sullivan An abortion-related funding dispute forced the Supreme Court to decide how far the government could go in limiting the activities of private organizations that receive federal financ . . .

Rutan v. Republican Party of Illinois 

Rutan v. Republican Party of Illinois James R. Thompson, the Republican governor of Illinois, froze hiring and promotions in state agencies. The only exceptions, according to Thompson's executive ord . . .

Sale, Acting Commissioner, Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Haitian Centers Council, Inc. 

Sale, Acting Commissioner, Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Haitian Centers Council, Inc., decided by an 8-1 vote, June 21, 1993; Stevens wrote the opinion; Blackmun dissented. For most of it . . .

San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez 

San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez This case stemmed from a class action suit brought in 1968 by parents “on behalf of schoolchildren throughout the State [of Texas] who are m . . .

Schlesinger v. Reservists to Stop the War 

Schlesinger v. Reservists to Stop the War Members of the Reservists Committee sued to enjoin certain members of Congress from holding positions in the army reserves on the grounds that Article I, Sec . . .

Shaw v. Reno 

Shaw v. Reno The Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed not only at ensuring access to the ballot box, but also that the minority vote would count. Section 2 sought to guarantee racial minorities an equal o . . .

Sierra Club v. Morton 

Sierra Club v. Morton This case involved the standing of an environmental advocacy organization to sue to prevent environmental damage that does not specifically harm any members of th . . .

Simon & Schuster, Inc. v. Members of New York State Crime Victims Board 

Simon & Schuster, Inc. v. Members of New York State Crime Victims Board In an effort to prevent criminals from profiting from books or other accounts of their offenses, New York passed a law requirin . . .

South Dakota v. Dole 

South Dakota v. Dole In 1984 Congress enacted a law that directed the secretary of transportation to withhold a percentage of federal highway funds from states “in which the purchase or public . . .

Spallone v. United States, Chema v. United States, Longo v. United States 

Spallone v. United States, Chema v. United States, Longo v. United States, decided by a 5-4 vote, January 10, 1990; Rehnquist wrote the opinion; Brennan, Marshall, Blackmun, and Stevens dissented. Cal . . .

St. Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks 

St. Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks, decided by a 5-4 vote, June 25, 1993; Scalia wrote the opinion; Souter, White, Blackmun, and Stevens dissented. When the Supreme Court handed down a series of decisio . . .

Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Board of Education 

Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Board of Education More than a decade after the decision in Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), many of the schools in the South rem . . .

Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill 

Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill (437 U.S. 153), decided by a 6-3 vote, June 15, 1978. Burger wrote the opinion; Powell, Blackmun and Rehnquist dissented. The Endangered Species Act—reflecting . . .

Texas v. Johnson 

Texas v. Johnson During the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas, Gregory Lee Johnson, a Vietnam veteran, burned an American flag to protest the policies of President Ronald Reagan. Johnson . . .

Trimble v. Gordon 

Trimble v. Gordon (430 U.S. 762), decided by a 5-4 vote, April 26, 1977. Powell wrote the opinion; Burger, Stewart, Blackmun and Rehnquist dissented. State denies illegitimate children equal protectio . . .

United States v. Alvarez-Machain 

United States v. Alvarez-Machain Humberto Alvarez-Machain was a citizen and resident of Mexico. In April 1990, under the direction of U.S. officials, he was abducted from his home in Guadalajara, Mex . . .

United States v. Eichman 

United States v. Eichman One of the most difficult First Amendment issues the Court has faced is desecration of the American flag, a symbol held in near reverence by most Americans. Next to the abort . . .

United States v. Fordice, Governor of Mississippi; Ayers v. Fordice, Governor of Mississippi 

United States v. Fordice, Governor of Mississippi; Ayers v. Fordice, Governor of Mississippi, decided by an 8-1 vote, June 26, 1992; White wrote the opinion; Scalia dissented. Thirty-eight years after . . .

United States v. Nixon 

United States v. Nixon This case was one of the most dramatic decisions in American constitutional history. It had the immediate consequence of forcing President Richard Nixon to release secretly mad . . .

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. Natural Resources Defense Council; Consumers Power Co. v. Aeschliman 

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. Natural Resources Defense Council; Consumers Power Co. v. Aeschliman (435 U.S. 519), decided by a vote of 7-0, April 3, 1978. Rehnquist wrote the opinion; Powell . . .

Virginia State Board of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, Inc. 

Virginia State Board of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, Inc. In Valentine v. Chrestensen, 316 U.S. 52 (1942), the Supreme Court held that commercial speech lacked basic First Amendmen . . .

Wallace v. Jaffree 

Wallace v. Jaffree This case was making its second appearance before the Supreme Court. It involved three Alabama statutes designed to bring prayer back into the public schools of that state. An Alab . . .

Warth v. Seldin 

Warth v. Seldin Warth and other petitioners, described as low income, Hispanic, and African American residents of Rochester, New York, sued the suburban town of Penfield for a determination that cert . . .

Washington v. Harper 

Washington v. Harper, decided by a 6-3 vote, February 27, 1990; Kennedy wrote the opinion; Stevens, Brennan, and Marshall dissented. State prison officials may force a mentally ill inmate to take anti . . .

Williams v. Florida 

Williams v. Florida In this case and the companion case, Baldwin v. New York, 399 U.S. 66 (1970), the Supreme Court dealt with issues involving the fairness of criminal prosecutions. B . . .

Wisconsin v. Constantineau 

Wisconsin v. Constantineau, decided by a 6-3 vote, Jan. 19, 1971. Douglas wrote the opinion; Burger, Black and Blackmun dissented. Due process bars states from posting the names of excessive drinkers . . .

Wisconsin v. Mitchell 

Wisconsin v. Mitchell The United States in the 1980s experienced an apparent increase in assaults and other crimes against victims targeted because of their race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orien . . .

Wisconsin v. Yoder 

Wisconsin v. Yoder Members of the Amish Mennonite Church, sometimes know as the Old Order Amish, regularly withdrew their children from public school at age fourteen, in violation of state law that r . . .

Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District 

Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District While James Zobrest, a deaf student in Tucson, Arizona, attended public school, the school district paid for a sign-language interpreter to assist him. Z . . .