Landmark Supreme Court cases that changed the United States -

For centuries, the Supreme Court of the United States has been the center and the heartbeat of the American judicial branch of government. The nine justices who serve on the Supreme Court are expected to be the foremost experts on the Constitution and the existing laws of the land. More importantly, they are expected to interpret and amend legislation without prejudice or regard for their own politics. Nonetheless, the Court has made a number of decisions that sparked outcry and fury amongst the populace. For better or worse, the Supreme Court makes the decisions that cannot be (or refuse to be) solved on the local or state levels. Indeed, some of America's most significant moments and eras have been brought on by the decisions of these nine justices.

Intrigued? Read on to learn about some of the most impactful decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States.

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Marbury v. Madison (1803) -

The Supreme Court case between William Marbury (pictured) and James Madison would prove to be one of the most important and formative cases of the early history of the Court. While the Constitution had designated the judicial branch as one of the three main branches of government, it hadn't yet been clarified just how much power the Court could exert over the other branches.

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Marbury v. Madison (1803) -

The decision of Marbury v. Madison asserted the power and limits of the judicial branch, as well as its separation from the legislative and executive branches. After Marbury sued then-Secretary of State James Madison (pictured) over a government appointment that Marbury had been promised but had not received, the Court ruled that while it was Marbury's right to pursue his issue in front of a court, it was not within the Supreme Court's rights to force Marbury's promised appointment.

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Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) -

The Gibbons v. Ogden case of 1824 established for the first time Congress' control over interstate commerce, and guaranteed that no other state or entity could have monopoly over commercial travel.

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Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) -

Aaron Ogden had been granted permission from a private company to operate steamboats on the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey. After finding Thomas Gibbons operating on the Hudson without any such permission, Ogden sued. Prominent lawyer Daniel Webster (pictured) successfully argued on behalf of Gibbons, and the Supreme Court established that only the federal government could control interstate commerce.

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Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) -

An infamous and ugly blemish on the history of the Supreme Court was the Dred Scott v. Stanford decision that denied Scott (pictured) and his family freedom from slaveholders, despite the fact that they were residing at that time in a state that had outlawed slavery.

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Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) -

The final decision, written by Judge Roger Taney (pictured), declared that the Constitution did not guarantee citizenship to African Americans and even declared the Missouri Compromise, which had established numerous western territories as free states, as unconstitutional. This decision enraged much of the population, breathed new life into abolitionist movements, and was a major precursor to the Civil War.

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Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) -

Another ugly Supreme Court case was that of Plessy v. Ferguson, in 1896. Homer Plessy had been arrested for boarding a "whites only" train car, and took his case all the way up to the Supreme Court, arguing that the nation's private sector's "separate but equal" rules were unconstitutional.

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Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) -

The majority of the Court ruled that the train car segregation was not unconstitutional, and ushered in the Jim Crow era. Only one judge, Justice John Harlan (pictured), dissented against  the ruling.

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Korematsu v. United States (1944) -

A dark and often glossed-over aspect of American history is that of interment camps during World War II and the nearly 120,000 individuals with Japanese ancestry who were forced into captivity. One such individual was Fred Korematsu (pictured).

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Korematsu v. United States (1944) -

Korematsu argued that the forced displacement and interment of Japanese and Japanese-Americans was unconstitutional, but the Court ruled against him in a 6-3 vote. One dissenter, Justice Frank Murphy (pictured), declared that the nation's wartime interment policies fell "into the ugly abyss of racism."

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Brown v. Board of Education (1954) -

Brown v. Board of Education was the landmark Supreme Court decision that declared segregation unconstitutional and desegregated all public schools in the nation.

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Brown v. Board of Education (1954) -

Oliver Brown and his daughter Linda Brown, the plaintiffs, represented by the legendary civil wrights lawyer and future Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall (pictured center), won their cases, which concluded with the Supreme Court voting unanimously to end segregation in schools, and in effect overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.

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Mapp v. Ohio (1961) -

Mapp v. Ohio was the Supreme Court case that decided that the "exclusionary clause" applied to law enforcement at all levels, from local to federal. This meant that any evidence illegally obtained during the investigation of a crime could not be used or presented in court.

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Mapp v. Ohio (1961) -

The case was brought up when Dollree Mapp, who worked for Cleveland mobster Shondor Birns (pictured), was arrested for possession of illegal betting slips and a firearm in 1957. However, the law officers failed to secure a warrant for their search, and once the Supreme Court declared the evidence found during the illegal search to be inadmissible according to the Fourth and Fourteenth amendments of the Constitution.

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Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) -

The landmark case known as Gideon v. Wainwright gave birth to the right of every defendant to an attorney, whether they can afford one or not. Clarence Gideon (pictured) was refused a lawyer during a trial in which he was accused of petty thievery.

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Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) -

After requesting and then being refused a lawyer, Gideon was sent to prison. While incarcerated, Gideon wrote letters petitioning to the Supreme Court of Florida. Eventually, Gideon's case reached the Federal Supreme Court, where he won against the head of the Florida Department of Corrections, Louie Wainwright (pictured), and the Court ruled that Gideon was not given a fair trial. From that day forward, all courts became obligated to provide a lawyer to any defendant who was unable to afford one.

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Miranda v. Arizona (1966) -

The Supreme Court decision of Miranda v. Arizona gave birth to what people all across the United States now know as the Miranda warning. Before 1966, all of the rights mentioned in the Miranda warning existed, but the arresting party wasn't obligated to make the offender or arrestee aware of those rights.

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Miranda v. Arizona (1966) -

After Ernesto Miranda was arrested for an alleged kidnapping, he was interrogated and eventually signed a confession. Miranda's lawyer, appointed to him thanks to the Gideon v. Wainwright decision three years earlier, argued that Miranda's confession was not voluntary because he was not made aware of his right to remain silent or his right to an attorney. A majority of the justices agreed, and since that ruling it has become common practice for police officers to read detainees their Miranda rights.

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Loving v. Virginia (1967) -

Brave couple Mildred and Richard Loving, with the help of the ACLU, went to the Supreme Court against the Court of Virginia, who had declared their marriage unconstitutional under the state's anti-miscegenation law, a law in place in many other states as well that prohibited marriage between different races.

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Loving v. Virginia (1967) -

The Lovings returned from the courthouse triumphant, and the Court declared anti-miscegenation laws across the country unconstitutional, legalizing interracial marriage on a federal level.

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Roe v. Wade (1973) -

One of the most famous, explosive, and important victories for reproductive rights came in 1973, when a woman's right to abortion became protected under federal law after the Supreme Court case known as Roe v. Wade.

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Roe v. Wade (1973) -

Jane Roe, the pseudonym given to Norma McCorvey, was represented by Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee (pictured). The team successfully argued that access to safe abortions, without fear of persecution or detainment, was protected by the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution.

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United States v. Nixon (1974) -

Shortly after the Watergate scandal kicked off in 1972, President Richard Nixon refused to comply with a subpoena directing him to turn in his tape recordings. Nixon refused this request, citing executive privilege and stating a president was under no obligation to bend to the whim of the other government branches.

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United States v. Nixon (1974) -

Nixon took the question of executive privilege in this circumstance all the way to the Supreme Court. Unfortunately for Nixon, his plan backfired, and the Court ruled against him in a unanimous decision. With the subpoena upheld by the Court, Nixon resigned shortly after the decision.

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Texas v. Johnson (1989) -

Activist Gregory Johnson was arrested in 1984 in Dallas, Texas, for burning an American flag outside the Republican National Convention. At the time, many states had anti-desecration laws. The prolific activist lawyer William Kunstler (pictured) helped Johnson fight the charge.

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Texas v. Johnson (1989) -

After bringing Johnson's case all the way to the United States Supreme Court, Kunstler argued that Johnson's act of flag burning was protected as free speech under the First Amendment. A majority decision, written by Justice William Brennan (pictured), agreed with Kunstler.

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Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) -

Considered by some to be a victory for the protection of the First Amendment, others considered this case to be a welcome call to electioneering and lobbyists to try and sway elections as they pleased.

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Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) -

During the 2008 presidential campaign, conservative organization Citizens United attempted to release a damaging documentary meant to soil the reputation of then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The FEC cited laws that prohibited corporate spending on political advertising within a certain period of time before an election. Two years later, the Court majority, led by Justice Anthony Kennedy, declared all of these laws unconstitutional and a violation of Citizens United's freedom of speech.

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Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) -

After a number of victories for LGBTQ+ rights on the state level, the right to marry for all citizens in the United States was finally declared protected under the Constitution in 2015.

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Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) -

Jim Obergefell had sued the state of Ohio in 2013 for refusing to grant a marriage license to him and his partner, John Arthur. The case went from the Ohio courts up to the Supreme Court, where, in 2015 it was decided in Obergefell's favor in a 5-4 ruling.

Sources: (History) (CNN) (Britannica)

See also: A colorful history of LGBTQ pride in America

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