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Here are 15 significant cases interpreting the Constitution by the US Supreme Court with their case citations and key holdings:

  1. Marbury v. Madison (1803) [5 U.S. 137]
    • Established the principle of judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional.
  2. McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) [17 U.S. 316]
    • Confirmed the supremacy of federal over state law and interpreted the Constitution to allow for implied powers of the federal government.
  3. Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) [60 U.S. 393]
    • Ruled that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be American citizens and that the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in federal territories.
  4. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) [163 U.S. 537]
    • Upheld racial segregation laws for public facilities under the doctrine of “separate but equal.”
  5. Brown v. Board of Education (1954) [347 U.S. 483]
    • Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
  6. Mapp v. Ohio (1961) [367 U.S. 643]
    • Established that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment, which protects against “unreasonable searches and seizures,” is inadmissible in state courts.
  7. Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) [372 U.S. 335]
    • Held that the Sixth Amendment’s right to counsel in criminal cases extends to felony defendants in state courts.
  8. Miranda v. Arizona (1966) [384 U.S. 436]
    • Established Miranda rights, requiring police to inform suspects of their rights before interrogation.
  9. Loving v. Virginia (1967) [388 U.S. 1]
    • Invalidated laws prohibiting interracial marriage.
  10. Roe v. Wade (1973) [410 U.S. 113]
    • Ruled that a state law that banned abortions (except to save the life of the mother) was unconstitutional.  See,Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) [No. 19-1392]
      • Overturned Roe v. Wade, ruling that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, thereby returning the authority to regulate abortion to the individual states. This decision marked a significant shift in abortion law in the United States, impacting federal and state-level policies and legal frameworks surrounding reproductive rights.
  11. United States v. Nixon (1974) [418 U.S. 683]
    • Limited the power of the president to claim executive privilege.
  12. Bush v. Gore (2000) [531 U.S. 98]
    • Resolved the 2000 presidential election in favor of George W. Bush by stopping the recount of votes in Florida.
  13. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) [558 U.S. 310]
    • Held that the free speech clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for political campaigns by corporations, associations, or labor unions.
  14. Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) [576 U.S. 644]
    • Legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
  15. District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) [554 U.S. 570]
    • Held that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm for traditionally lawful purposes.
This post was solely researched and generated by AI.  I have over the years read them all, and  I agree each one is significant to list.  There are many more significant decisions, but you have to draw the line somewhere. Right?