Students wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War was symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment.

The First Amendment protected all statements about public officials unless there is "actual malice" (the speaker lied with the intent to defame.)

The Supreme Court overturned required that any indigent person accused of a felony must be given an attorney at the public's expense

Flag burning as political protest is a form of symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment.

Overturned Furman v. Georgia. Georgia's law imposing the death penalty under very specific circumstances and guidelines is ruled constitutional. The death penalty "does not invariably violate the Constitution." The judicious and careful use of the penalty was justified in that it met contemporary standards of society, served a deterrent or retributive purpose, and was not arbitrarily applied.

The 4th Amendment ban on unreasonable searches applies to those conducted by public school officials as well as by law enforcement personnel; however, the Court used a less strict standard of "reasonable suspicion" to conclude that the search of a student's purse by public school officials did not violate the 4th and 14th Amendments.

The Court ruled that Dred Scot was a slave, and thus, not a citizen of any state. As a result, he had no standing to sue in federal court for his freedom. (Before the 13th Amendment)

The US government did not exceed its wartime powers when it moved Japanese people to internment camps. The need to protect against espionage outweighed the individual rights of the people.

Judicial review - the Courts have the power to determine the constitutionality of acts of other branches of government.

Segregation is legal as long as the facilities provided to both black and white people are equal.

The Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional under the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. "Separate is inherently unequal."

All evidence obtained by searches and seizures in violation of the Constitution is inadmissible in court; this is the "exclusionary rule"

Freedom of speech can be limited during wartime. The government can restrict expressions that "would create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent."

Public school officials can censor school-sponsored newspapers, because the newspapers are part of the school curriculum rather than a forum for public expression.