Landmark Supreme Court Cases

The paragraph below is from a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.

Which Supreme Court decision included the reasoning above?

• Plessey v Ferguson

• Marbury v Madison

• Tinker v Des Moines

• Brown v Board of Education

Which principle was the focus of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miranda v. Arizona (1966)?

• freedom of expression

• freedom of speech

• self-incrimination

• right to an attorney

Which was an outcome of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954)?

• Administrators may limit the content of

  student publications.

• Public school districts that segregate

  deny equal protection.

• Students have a reduced expectation of

  privacy in school.

• Criminal defendants have the right to an attorney.

States must pay for public defenders as a result of which U.S. Supreme Court case?

• District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)

• Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)

• Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

• Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Juveniles accused of crimes continue to be afforded many of the same due process rights as adults as a result of which U.S. Supreme Court case?

• District of Columbia v. Heller

  (2008)

• Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)

• In re Greene

• In re Gault

What lessons did future U.S. leaders learn from the 1974 U.S. Supreme Court case United States v. Nixon?

• The president is accountable for obeying the law.

• The president is responsible for enforcing the law.

• The president is not allowed to hold secret talks with foreign governments

• The president is not allowed to have private meetings with cabinet members.

The passage below is from the Supreme Court decision, Marbury v Madison (1803).

It is...[the]duty of the judicial [branch] to say what the law is. Those who apply the rule to particular cases must...interpret that rule...So, if a law [conflicts with] the Constitution,...the Court must either decide that case [in favor of] the law... This is the very essence of judicial duty.

What conclusion did the Court reach to solve the problem identified in the passage?

• It had to come up with a new law of its own.

• It should follow the law because it was more recent.

• It must cancel any law that contradicts the Constitution.

• It could choose to follow either the law or the Constitution.

What was the significance of the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision In re Gault?

• Minors were denied the same rights as adults

• Poor minors facing detention had no right to a free lawyer.

• The juvenile system of justice became a model for adult reforms.

• Juveniles were given the most important "due process" rights of adults.

In what sitution would you use Marbury v. Madison as a defense against that action?

• The Supreme Court rules a law unconstitutional

• The Supreme Court forces Congress to pass a law.

• The President vetoes a law

What did the ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson allow for in public transportation?

• Public transportation must be integrated.

• Pulblic transportation could be separated based on race and unequal in the quality of facilities.

• Pulblic transportation could be separated based on race but had to be equal.

• Public transportation could ban anyone based on race.