Famous US Supreme Court Cases

Plessy v Ferguson

• upheld racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine, goes against the 14th Amendment

• declared that segregation was unconstitutional

• supported the integration of public schools

• established the principle of affirmative action

Schenck v US

• concluded that the First Amendment does not protect speech that presents a "clear and present danger," especially when going against the American War effort (WWI)

• upheld the right to free speech in all circumstances

• ruled that speech can be limited during peacetime

• established that the government can censor any speech it deems inappropriate

Brown v Board of Education Topeka, KS

• Declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.

• Established the separate but equal doctrine as constitutional.

• Affirmed the legality of racial segregation in public schools.

• Mandated the integration of all public facilities in the United States.

Korematsu v US

• upheld the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II as a wartime necessity with response to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor

• declared the internment of Japanese Americans unconstitutional

• supported the relocation of Japanese Americans to Canada

• ruled that the government had no right to detain citizens during wartime

Kim Wong Ark v US

• A decision that denied citizenship to children born in the United States to foreign parents

• A decision that affirmed the citizenship of children born in the United States to foreign parents under the 14th Amendment

• A ruling that allowed foreign parents to become citizens without restrictions

• A case that addressed immigration quotas for Chinese immigrants

Scopes Monkey Trial

• The 1925 trial of John Scopes for teaching evolution in violation of state law, highlighting the conflict between science and religion.

• A famous trial in 1960 regarding civil rights and segregation in schools.

• The trial of a teacher in 1980 for promoting religious teachings in a public school.

• A legal case in 1954 about the rights of teachers to discuss political issues in class.