List of United States Supreme Court cases
This is a chronological list of notable cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States.
1790–1819 Chisholm v. Georgia, : first “major” case; federal jurisdiction over suits vs. states Marbury v. Madison, : judicial review of laws enacted by Congress Stuart v. Laird, : enforceability of rulings issued by judges who have since been removed from office Ex Parte Bollman, : habeas corpus, definition of treason, Supreme Court’s power to issue writs to circuit courts Fletcher v. Peck, : property rights Martin v. Hunter’s Lessee, : Loyalist property forfeiture, Supreme Court review of state court judgments McCulloch v. Maryland, : doctrine of implied powers Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward, : impairment of contracts
1820–1839 Cohens v. Virginia, : judicial review of state supreme court decisions Gibbons v. Ogden, : Congressional power to regulate interstate commerce Ogden v. Saunders, : state bankruptcy law Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, : Indian nations as foreign states Worcester v. Georgia, : Indian removal Barron v. Baltimore, : reach of the Bill of Rights Wheaton v. Peters, : copyright perpetuity; common law copyright
1840–1859 The Amistad, : slave trade and slave ownership (see Amistad) Prigg v. Pennsylvania, : runaway slaves Cooley v. Board of Wardens, : pilotage laws Dred Scott v. Sandford, : slavery, citizenship
1860–1879 Prize Cases, : presidential powers in wartime Ex Parte Milligan, : habeas corpus, military tribunals Ex Parte Garland, : retroactive civil disability for former Confederate officers Ex Parte McCardle, : congressional power to limit Supreme Court’s appellate jurisdiction Texas v. White, : constitutionality of state secession United States v. Klein, : separation of powers Slaughterhouse Cases, : freedom of employment Bradwell v. State of Illinois, : equal protection, exclusion of women from employment Minor v. Happersett, : Fourteenth Amendment and the right to vote Totten v. United States, : jurisdiction over espionage agreements United States v. Cruikshank, : application of the First and Second Amendments to the states Munn v. Illinois, : corporations and agricultural regulation Reynolds v. United States, : polygamy and freedom of religion
1880–1899 Strauder v. West Virginia, : exclusion of blacks from juries Civil Rights Cases, : power of federal government to prohibit racial discrimination by private parties Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony, : copyrightability of photographs Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad, : corporate personhood Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad Company v. Illinois, : regulation of interstate commerce by individual states, creation of ICC Dent v. West Virginia, : state licensing of doctors Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad v. Minnesota, : states and railway fees Nix v. Hedden, : status of the tomato as fruit or vegetable United States v. E. C. Knight Co, : antitrust action; “Sugar Trust Case” Coffin v. United States, : the presumption of innocence. In re Debs, : strikes and interstate commerce Pollock v. Farmers’ Loan & Trust Co, : income tax and tariffs Plessy v. Ferguson, : segregation; “separate but equal” United States v. Trans-Missouri Freight Association, : railroads and rate fixing Holden v. Hardy, : United States v. Wong Kim Ark, : citizenship and race Hawker v. New York, : character and doctor’s licenses Williams v. Mississippi, : literacy tests Cumming v. Richmond County Board of Education, : segregation in public schools
1900–1919 Marks v. Shoup, : Property issues Insular Cases, (numerous) constitutional status of Puerto Rico and the Philippines*DeLima v. Bidwell, :*Goetze v. United States, :*Armstrong v. United States, :*Downes v. Bidwell, :*Huus v. New York & Porto Rico S.S. Co, :*Dooley v. United States, :*Fourteen Diamond Rings v. United States, : Hawaii v. Manikichi, :, sometimes considered one of the Insular Cases Kepner v. United States, :, sometimes considered one of the Insular Cases Dorr v. United States, :, sometimes considered one of the Insular Cases Gonzales v. Williams, : Puerto Ricans and illegal aliens Rasmussen v. United States, :, sometimes considered one of the Insular Cases Lochner v. New York, : freedom of contract, substantive due process Hale v. Henkel, : witness testimony in antitrust cases Northwestern National Life Insurance Co. v. Riggs, : Adair v. United States, : "Yellow Dog contract" Muller v. Oregon, : protective labor laws, protection of women Bobbs-Merrill Co v. Straus, : extension of copyright holder rights by use of licenses Berea College v. Kentucky, : state laws and segregation of educational facilities United States v. Grimaud, : control of forest reserves Dowdell v. United States, :, sometimes considered one of the Insular Cases Bauer & Cie. v. O'Donnell, : extensions of patents by use of licenses, rights of copyright holder regarding “use” of copyrighted works Ocampo v. United States, :, sometimes considered one of the Insular Cases Guinn v. United States, : unconstitutionality of Oklahoma's "grandfather law" used to disenfranchise African-American voters Bi-Metallic Investment Co. v. State Board of Equalization, : denial of due process procedural protections for legislative and rulemaking acts, as opposed to adjudicatory proceedings Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad (1916): Buchanan v. Warley, : unconstitutionality of local ordinance compelling racial segregation of residential housing Hammer v. Dagenhart, : Congressional power to regulate child labor under the Commerce Clause International News Service v. Associated Press, : property rights in news Schenck v. United States,\ : freedom of speech, “clear and present danger” Abrams v. United States, : validity of criminalizing criticism of the government
1920–1939 Missouri v. Holland, : states’ rightsBalzac v. Porto Rico, :, sometimes considered one of the Insular Cases
Moore v. Dempsey, : mob-dominated trials, federal writ of habeas corpus, due process Adkins v. Children’s Hospital, : freedom of contract, minimum wage laws United States v. Ninety-Five Barrels (More or Less) Alleged Apple Cider Vinegar, : legality of misleading but factually accurate packaging statements under the Food and Drug Act Pierce v. Society of Sisters, : privacy Gitlow v. New York, : prosecution of seditious speech Myers v. United States, : Village of Euclid, Ohio v. Ambler Realty Co, : zoning, due process Buck v. Bell, : compulsory sterilization, eugenics Whitney v. California, : prosecution of criminal syndicalism Stromberg v. California, : Near v. Minnesota, : freedom of speech, prior restraints New State Ice Co. v. Liebmann, : Powell v. Alabama, : Panama Refining Co. v. Ryan, : delegation of authority, New Deal Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, : interstate commerce, New Deal West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish, : freedom of contract, minimum wage laws; “the switch in time that saved nine” National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation, : interstate commerce; another consequence of “the switch in time that saved nine” Connecticut General Life Insurance Company v. Johnson, : United States v. Carolene Products Co, : interstate commerce, substantive due process, and (in footnote four) equal protection United States v. Miller, :
1940–1959 Chambers v. Florida, : Edwards v. California, : Commerce Clause Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, : fighting words Betts v. Brady, : Skinner v. Oklahoma, : compulsory sterilization, eugenics Wickard v. Filburn, : Commerce Clause West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, Hirabayashi v. United States, Smith v. Allwright, : voting rights, segregation Korematsu v. United States, : internment of Japanese Everson v. Board of Education, : First Amendment, establishment of religion Oyama v. California, : California Alien Land Laws, equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment Shelley v. Kraemer, : equal protection, racial covenants United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc, : Hollywood studios monopoly United States v. National City Lines Inc, : General Motors streetcar conspiracy Wheeling Steel Corp. v. Glander, : due process (Fourteenth Amendment), Commerce Clause Wolf v. Colorado, : Fourteenth Amendment, state court, evidence from unreasonable search and seizure Sweatt v. Painter, : segregation, separate but equal McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents, : Fourteenth Amendment, segregation Universal Camera Corp. v. NLRB, : judicial review of agency decisions Dennis v. United States, : First Amendment and the Smith Act Rochin v. California, : restriction of police power Zorach v. Clauson, : release time programs Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, : presidential power to seize steel mills during strike to ensure wartime production Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, : segregation, “separate inherently inequal” Bolling v. Sharpe, : segregation in the District of Columbia Berman v. Parker, : eminent domain, takings Griffin v. Illinois, : access to court transcript for indigent appeals Roth v. United States, : obscenity NAACP v. Alabama, : freedom of association, privacy of membership lists Speiser v. Randall, : Smith v. California, : 1960–1979 Boynton v. Virginia, : racial segregation McGowan v. Maryland, : constitutionality of laws with religious origins but secular purposes Torcaso v. Watkins, : oaths, religious test, First Amendment Mapp v. Ohio, : search and seizure, exclusionary rule Baker v. Carr, : reapportionment issues Engel v. Vitale, : school prayer Gideon v. Wainwright, : right to counsel Douglas v. California, : Fourteenth Amendment; right of poor defendants to criminal court appeals Abington School District v. Schempp, : constitutionality of mandatory bible reading in public schools Wesberry v. Sanders, : “one man, one vote” New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, : freedom of speech, libel Banco National de Cuba v. Sabbatino, : act of state doctrine applies to prevent federal court from holding invalid an act of a foreign country with respect to property within the foreign jurisdiction Reynolds v. Sims, : “one man, one vote” (state senates) Jacobellis v. Ohio, : “I know [obscenity] when I see it[.]” – Justice Potter Stewart Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States, : interstate commerce, civil rights, public accommodations United States v. Continental Can Co, : antitrust Griswold v. Connecticut, : privacy, birth control Memoirs v. Massachusetts, : obscenity Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, : Miranda v. Arizona, : self-incrimination (“right to remain silent”}}: In Re Gault, : due process, juveniles Loving v. Virginia, : interracial marriage United States v. Wade,\ : handwriting Gilbert v. California, : handwriting United States v. O'Brien, : free speech, burning draft cards Terry v. Ohio, : search and seizure, power of police to stop and frisk suspicious persons Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, : freedom of speech in public schools Street v. New York, : Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC, : Fairness Doctrine, broadcaster responsibilities, freedom of speech Brandenburg v. Ohio, : freedom of speech, incitement to riot Goldberg v. Kelly, : procedural due process, hearing requirement Walz v. Tax Commission of the City of New York, : tax exemption for churches Griggs v. Duke Power Co, : employment discrimination; disparate effect of employer practices Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, : busing authorized to establish school desegregation Cohen v. California, : freedom of speech, fighting words/obscenity, “fuck the draft” Lemon v. Kurtzman, : establishment of religion, schools, the “Lemon test” New York Times Co. v. United States, : freedom of the press, national security, Pentagon Papers Wisconsin v. Yoder, : freedom of religion, high school education Furman v. Georgia, : death penalty, cruel and unusual punishment Perry v. Sindermann, : First Amendment; defacto professor tenure Branzburg v. Hayes, : First Amendment; grand jury, journalists’ rights United States v. Dionisio, : handwriting United States v. Mara aka Marasovich, : handwriting Roe v. Wade, : abortion, due process, privacy Miller v. California, : freedom of speech, Miller test for obscenity Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo, : freedom of speech United States v. Nixon, : judicial review, executive privilege, separation of powers Milliken v. Bradley, : segregation, busing Gregg v. Georgia, : death penalty Stump v. Sparkman, : judicial immunity Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc, : judicial deference to government agencies Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, : racial discrimination, affirmative action FCC v. Pacifica Foundation, : obscenity, FCC policing of obscenity
1980–1999 Diamond v. Chakrabarty, : patentability of genetically modified organisms Consolidated Edison Co. v. Public Serv. Comm'n, : freedom of speech (companies including information inserts with bills) United States v. Lee, : religious opposition to participation in Social Security Board of Education, Island Trees School District v. Pico, : right to remove "objectionable" books from school libraries Plyler v. Doe, : illegal immigrants and public education Bob Jones University v. United States, : freedom of religion and tax exemptions Michigan v. Long, : “adequate and independent state ground” Sony Corp. v. Universal City Studios, : copyright, VCR “time-shifting”, fair use Lynch v. Donnelly, : public religious display on private property Bernal v. Fainter, : citizenship of notaries public Chevron, Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc, : judicial review of the interpretation of statutes by government agencies Allen v. Wright, : standing to sue for executive action alleged to promote racial discrimination by third parties Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority, : application of minimum wage laws to state governments Wallace v. Jaffree, : school sponsorship of voluntary religious observances Thornton v. Calder, : constitutionality of Sabbath laws Dowling v. United States, : copyright infringement as theft Witters v. Washington Department of Services For the Blind, : constitutionality of public aid paid directly to students of Christian colleges Nix v. Whiteside, : attorney-client privilege Batson v. Kentucky, : peremptory challenge, racial discrimination Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, : sexual harassment Bowers v. Hardwick, : sodomy and substantive due process; overruled by Lawrence v. Texas (2003) Bethel School District v. Fraser, : censorship of obscene speech at a school assembly Turner v. Safley, : free speech and marriage rights of prison inmates Edwards v. Aguillard, : constitutionality of mandating teaching of creation science in conjunction with theory of evolution South Dakota v. Dole, : use of federal funding to encourage changes in state laws Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, : freedom of speech in school newspaper Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, : First Amendment; parody, emotional distress Lying v. Northwest Indian CPA, : religious rights of Native American vs. public interest Morrison v. Olson, : independent counsel's office Thompson v. Oklahoma, :, Eighth Amendment; cruel and unusual punishment; capital punishment for juveniles under 16 Community For Creative Non-Violence v. Reid, : copyright, work for hire Martin v. Wilks, : Texas v. Johnson, : freedom of speech (flag burning) Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, : abortion rights Maryland v. Craig, : the right of criminal defendants to confront witnesses United States v. Eichman, : freedom of speech (flag burning) Feist Publications v. Rural Telephone Service Co, : creativity required for copyright protection R. A. V. v. City of St. Paul, : fighting words, hate speech Lee v. Weisman, : Planned Parenthood v. Casey, : abortion United States Department of Justice v. Landano, : Freedom of Information Act and confidentiality. Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah, : animal cruelty, freedom of religion Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School District, : access by religious groups to public school facilities Alexander v. United States, : Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, : the Daubert Standard on the admissibility of the opinion of the expert witness. Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, : copyright, commercial fair use is possible, parody United States v. Shabani, : elements of criminal conspiracy (i.e., requirement for an overt act) United States v. Alfonso Lopez, Jr, : interstate commerce, gun-free school zones Adarand Constructors v. Peņa, : constitutionality of race-based set-asides (strict scrutiny test) Rosenberger v. University of Virginia, : discrimination by state universities against student religious organizations Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton, : reasonable public school drug testing is constitutional under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments 44 Liquormart, Inc. v. State of Rhode Island, : restrictions on promotion of alcohol Romer v. Evans, : equal protection, homosexuality Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union, : free speech, obscenity, CDA Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, : applicability of sexual harassment laws to same sex harassment Hunt v. Cromartie, : gerrymandering Florida Prepaid Postsecondary Education Expense Board v. College Savings Bank, : sovereign immunity of the states
2000–present
''Some of the cases in this section have not yet been assigned a United States Reports ("U.S.") citation with volume and page, a Supreme Court Reporter ("S.Ct.") citation, or both. Those cases can be identified either with "L.Ed.": a Lawyers' Edition citation [1], or a U.S. Law Week citation [1]. Also see Court_citation#Unpublished_decisions for additional guidance. - United States v. Morrison, :
- Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, : right of free association, homosexuality
- Bush v. Gore, : vote recounts in presidential election
- Easley v. Cromartie, : racial discrimination, gerrymandering
- Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, : election of state judges, freedom of speech
- Eldred v. Ashcroft, : copyright duration
- Gratz v. Bollinger, : racial discrimination, affirmative action, equal protection
- Grutter v. Bollinger, : racial discrimination, affirmative action, equal protection
- Lawrence v. Texas, : liberty, due process, homosexuality
- McConnell v. FEC, : First Amendment; political speech
- Doe v. Chao, : governmental violation of privacy rights
Citation to be assigned
Date listed is date of decision - (3/8/04) Crawford v. Washington, 541 U. S. __ (2004): out-of-court statements
- (6/7/04) Central Laborers’ Pension Fund v. Heinz, 124 S.Ct. 2230 (2004): an ambiguity in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
- (6/7/04) Department of Transportation v. Public Citizen, 124 S.Ct. 2204 (2004): Presidential foreign affairs and foreign trade actions
- (6/14/04) United States v. Dominguez Benitez, 124 S.Ct. 2333 (2004): responsibility of a defendant in the case of a violation of Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11
- (6/14/04) Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, 542 U.S. __ (2004): validity of “under God” in Pledge of Allegiance; standing to bring suit on another’s behalf.
- (6/21/04) Intel Corp. v. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc, 542 U.S. __ (2004): foreign tribunals
- (6/21/04) Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada, 542 U.S. __ (2004): constitutionality of state law requiring citizens to identify themselves to police.
- (6/24/04) Blakely v. Washington, 542 U.S. __ (2004): right to jury trial, judge-enhanced criminal sentences
- (6/28/04) Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. __ (2004): detention of American citizens
- (6/28/04) Rasul v. Bush, 542 U.S. __ (2004): jurisdiction over foreign nationals detained in Guantanamo Bay
- (6/28/04) Rumsfeld v. Padilla, 124 S.Ct. 2230 (2004): detention of American citizens
- (1/12/05) United States v. Booker, 542 U. S. __ (2005): Sixth Amendment; constitutionality of mandatory minimum sentences in federal courts
- (3/1/05) Roper v. Simmons, 543 U. S. __ (2005): Eighth Amendment; cruel and unusual punishment; capital punishment for juveniles under 18 (compare Thompson v. Oklahoma from 1988)
- (3/2/05) Tenet v. Doe, 544 U. S. __ (2005): enforceability of contracts between the government and spies (undercover CIA agents)
Cases awaiting decision
The following is a partial list of cases awaiting decisions. The first number on each line is that case's docket number. The date listed before each case is that of the most recent oral arguments for each case. Transcripts of recently argued cases are available from the Court's website. - (11/03/04) Small v. United States (2004): resolution of split appeals court decisions on inclusion of foreign courts in the term “any court”
- (11/29/04) Ashcroft v. Raich (2004): legitimacy of using marijuana as a medicine, and power of the federal government to regulate intrastate activities.
- (2/22/05) Susette Kelo et al. v. City of New London et al (2005): eminent domain; takings of private property for private development
- (2/28/05) Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd (2005): applicability of the Americans With Disabilities Act to foreign-held companies.
- (3/02/05) McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky (2005): constitutionality of a Ten Commandments display; potential reformulation of the Lemon test
- (3/02/05) Van Orden v. Perry (2005): Legality of a Ten Commandments display
- (3/27/05) MGM Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd (2005): Copyright infringement in P2P file-sharing; re-examination of Sony Corp. v. Universal City Studios
- (TBD) Stewart v. United States (2005): applicability of Commerce Clause in criminalizing private homemade automatic firearms
- (4/20/05 - scheduled) Merck KGaA, Petitioner v. Integra Lifesciences I, Ltd., et al
- (4/27/05 - scheduled) Arthur Andersen LLP v. United States (2005): Legality of document destruction in the face of likely government investigation
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