Landmark Supreme Court Cases
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) — Civil Rights
The Court ruled unanimously that racial segregation in public schools violates the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson's "separate but equal" doctrine. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote: "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
This was the culmination of 18 years of NAACP Legal Defense Fund litigation building precedent through higher education cases. Brown didn't end segregation overnight—Southern states resisted for decades—but it laid the legal foundation for federal desegregation orders and the civil rights movement.
Loving v. Virginia (1967) — Fundamental Rights
The Court unanimously struck down state bans on interracial marriage, holding that the freedom to marry is a fundamental right protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. Chief Justice Warren wrote: "To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes... is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law."
The decision invalidated anti-miscegenation laws in 15 states, ending legal barriers that had existed since colonial times.
Miranda v. Arizona (1966) — Criminal Justice
The Court ruled 5-4 that police must inform suspects in custody of their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and Sixth Amendment right to an attorney. Without these warnings, confessions are inadmissible in court.
The decision transformed police interrogation practices nationwide, creating warnings that officers must recite during arrests.
Citizens United v. FEC (2010) — Campaign Finance
The Court held 5-4 that corporate and union spending on political campaigns is protected speech under the First Amendment, overturning Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce (1990) and part of McConnell v. FEC (2003). The ruling eliminated restrictions on independent political expenditures.
Critics argued it gives corporations disproportionate political power. Supporters called it a defense of free speech against government overreach.
Landmark Supreme Court Cases
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) — Civil Rights
The Court ruled unanimously that racial segregation in public schools violates the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson's "separate but equal" doctrine. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote: "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
This was the culmination of 18 years of NAACP Legal Defense Fund litigation building precedent through higher education cases. Brown didn't end segregation overnight—Southern states resisted for decades—but it laid the legal foundation for federal desegregation orders and the civil rights movement.
Loving v. Virginia (1967) — Fundamental Rights
The Court unanimously struck down state bans on interracial marriage, holding that the freedom to marry is a fundamental right protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. Chief Justice Warren wrote: "To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes... is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law."
The decision invalidated anti-miscegenation laws in 15 states, ending legal barriers that had existed since colonial times.
Miranda v. Arizona (1966) — Criminal Justice
The Court ruled 5-4 that police must inform suspects in custody of their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and Sixth Amendment right to an attorney. Without these warnings, confessions are inadmissible in court.
The decision transformed police interrogation practices nationwide, creating warnings that officers must recite during arrests.
Citizens United v. FEC (2010) — Campaign Finance
The Court held 5-4 that corporate and union spending on political campaigns is protected speech under the First Amendment, overturning Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce (1990) and part of McConnell v. FEC (2003). The ruling eliminated restrictions on independent political expenditures.
Critics argued it gives corporations disproportionate political power. Supporters called it a defense of free speech against government overreach.
Landmark Supreme Court Cases
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) — Civil Rights
The Court ruled unanimously that racial segregation in public schools violates the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson's "separate but equal" doctrine. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote: "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
This was the culmination of 18 years of NAACP Legal Defense Fund litigation building precedent through higher education cases. Brown didn't end segregation overnight—Southern states resisted for decades—but it laid the legal foundation for federal desegregation orders and the civil rights movement.
Loving v. Virginia (1967) — Fundamental Rights
The Court unanimously struck down state bans on interracial marriage, holding that the freedom to marry is a fundamental right protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. Chief Justice Warren wrote: "To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes... is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law."
The decision invalidated anti-miscegenation laws in 15 states, ending legal barriers that had existed since colonial times.
Miranda v. Arizona (1966) — Criminal Justice
The Court ruled 5-4 that police must inform suspects in custody of their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and Sixth Amendment right to an attorney. Without these warnings, confessions are inadmissible in court.
The decision transformed police interrogation practices nationwide, creating warnings that officers must recite during arrests.
Citizens United v. FEC (2010) — Campaign Finance
The Court held 5-4 that corporate and union spending on political campaigns is protected speech under the First Amendment, overturning Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce (1990) and part of McConnell v. FEC (2003). The ruling eliminated restrictions on independent political expenditures.
Critics argued it gives corporations disproportionate political power. Supporters called it a defense of free speech against government overreach.