Landmark U.S. Supreme Court Cases

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Brown v. Board of Education

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A landmark Supreme Court case that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.

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Plessy v. Ferguson

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A Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine.

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Sweatt v. Painter

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A Supreme Court case that successfully challenged the "separate but equal" doctrine of racial segregation in higher education.

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Hernandez v. Texas

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A Supreme Court case that extended constitutional rights to Mexican Americans and other racial groups in the United States.

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Wisconsin v. Yoder

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A Supreme Court case that held that Amish children could not be placed under compulsory education past 8th grade, emphasizing freedom of religion.

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Mapp v. Ohio

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A Supreme Court decision that established the exclusionary rule, which prevents illegally obtained evidence from being used in court.

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Tinker v. Des Moines

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A Supreme Court case that upheld students' First Amendment rights, allowing them to wear black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War.

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Gideon v. Wainwright

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A Supreme Court case that ruled the Sixth Amendment right to counsel is a fundamental right applied to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment.

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Miranda v. Arizona

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A Supreme Court case that established the Miranda rights, requiring police to inform suspects of their rights before questioning.

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Mendez v. Westminster School District

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A federal court case that challenged racial segregation in Orange County, California schools, setting a precedent for Brown v. Board of Education.