1803 - Marshall

Supreme Court established Judicial review by declaring a federal law unconstitutional.

1810 - Marshall

Stems from the Yazoo land Cases.  Upholds the Sanctity of Contracts.

1819 - Marshall

Ruled that States Cannot tax federal government (directly).  Confirmed that the Bank of the United States is Constitutional (indirectly).

1819 - Marshall

New Hampshire had attempted to take over Dartmouth College by revising its colonial charter.  Upheld the sanctity of contracts.

1824 - Marshall

Clarifed the commerce clause and affirmed Congressional power over interstate commerce.

1823 - Marshall

Establish that indian tribes had rights to tribal lands that preceded all other American law; only the federal government could take land from the tribes.

1831 - Marshall

established a "trust relationship" with the indian tribes directly under federal authority.

1832 - Marshall

Established tribal autonomy within their boundaries, i.e. the tribes were "distinct political communities, having territorial boundaries within which their authority is exclusive".

1837 - Taney

The interests of the community are more important than the interests of business; the supremacy of society's interest over private interest.

1842 - Shaw

Declared that labor unions were lawful organizations and that the strike was a lawful weapon.

1857 - Taney

Ruled that congress had no pwer to prohibit slavery in a territory, and thus made the Missouri Compromise of 1820 void.

1866

Ruled that a civillian cannot be tried in military courts while civil courts are available.

1883

(a similar decision on a group of cases with similar legal problems).  Legalized segregation with regard to private property.

1886

Declared state-passed granger laws that regulated interstate commerce unconstitutional.

1890

Found that Granger law regulations were violations of the 5th amendment right to property.

1895

Declared the income tax under the Wilson-Gorman Tarrif to be unconstitutional.

1895

Due to a narrow interpretation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, the court undermined the authority of the federal government to act against monopolies.

1896

Legalized segragation in Publicly owned facilities on the basis of "seperate but equal".

1901

Confirmed the right of the federal government to place tarrifs on goods entering the U.S. from U.S. territories on the grounds that "the constitution does not follow the flag"

1904

re-established the authority of the federal government to fight monoploies under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

1905

Declared a New York Act limiting the working hours of bakers unconstitutional due to a denial of the 14th amendment rights.

1908

First case to use the "brandeis brief"; recognized a 10-hour work day for women laundrey workers on the grounds of health and community concerns.

1918

Declared the Keating-Owen Act (a Child Labor Act) unconstitutional on the grounds that it was an invasion of state authority.

1919

Unanimously upheld the Espionage Act of 1917 which declared that people who interfered with the war effort were subject to imprisonment; declared 1st amendment right to free speech not absolute and that it could be limited if its exercise presents a "clear and present danger".

1923

Declared a minimum wage law for women unconstitutional on the grounds that it denied women freedom of contract.

1936

Unanimously declared the NIRA unconstitutional on three grounds:

1. that the act delegatedd legislative power to the executive.

2. That there was a lack of constitutional authority for such legislation.

3. and that it sought to regulate business that were wholly inrastate in character.

1941

The court upheld the constitutionality of detention camps for Japenese-Americans during World War II.

1944

The Court forbade the internment of Japenese-Americans born in the U.S.

1954 - Warren

Unanimous decision declaring "seperate but equal" unconstitutional.

1963

Extends to the defendant the right of counsel in all state and federal criminal trials regardless of their ability to pay.

1964

Ruled that a defendant must be allowed access to a lawyer before questioned by the police

1966

Ruled that those subjected to in-custody interrogation be advised of their constitutioal right to attorny and their right to remain silent.

1973

The court legalized abortion by ruling that state laws could not restrict it during the first three months of pregnancy.  Based of 4th amendment rights of a person to be secure in their persons.

1974

The court rejected Richard Nixon's claim to an absolutely unqualified privilege against any judicial process.

1978

Ambiguous ruling by a badly divided court that dealt with affirmative action programs that used race as a basis of selecting participants.  The court upheld affirmative action, but with a 4/4/1 split, it was a very weak decision.