Landmark Supreme Court Cases

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Established judicial review, allowing courts to declare laws unconstitutional.

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Marbury v Madison (1803)

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States cannot tax federal institutions; reinforced the Supremacy Clause.

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McCulloch v Maryland (1819)

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Limited Native American sovereignty; paved the way for the Indian Removal Act.

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Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831)

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Ruled that African Americans could not be American citizens.

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Dred Scott v Sanford (1857)

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Arose when states began regulating businesses, particularly railroads and grain elevators. The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 for the power of state to regulate private industries that affect the common people.

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Munn v Illinois (1877)

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Passed the Sherman-AntiTrust Act to prevent monopolies. The Act was constitutional but didn’t apply to manufacturing because it wasn’t commerce.

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United States v. EC Knight (1895)

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Louisiana's Separate Car Act required racial segregation on trains. The Supreme Court decided the Act was constitutional, showing segregation was believed to be constitutional at the time.

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Plessy v Ferguson (1896)

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The case involved the formation of the Northern Securities Company, a large railroad trust, and whether it violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against Northern Securities, marking the first major enforcement of the Sherman Antitrust Act against a powerful monopoly.

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Northern Securities Co. v. United States (1904)

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This case questioned whether New York’s Bakeshop Act of 1895, which limited bakers' working hours, violated the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment. The court ruled it unconstitutional, emphasizing freedom of contract and prohibiting bakers from working more than 10 hours per day or 60 hours per week.

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Lochner v. New York (1905)

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John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil was found to violate the Sherman Antitrust Act, leading to the company's dissolution. The court amended the Act to target only "unreasonable" contracts and combinations in restraint of trade.

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Standard Oil vs. United States (1911)