Landmark Supreme Court Cases You Must Know

Supreme Court decisions have shaped many aspects of American life.
One of the most important landmark Supreme Court Cases was Marbury v. Madison which established the principle of judicial review.

Several important Supreme Court decisions, such as McCulloh v. Maryland in 1819, Gibbons v. Ogden in 1824, Northern Securities Company v. United States in 1904, Lochner v. New York in 1905, Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States in 1911, and Employment Division v. Smith in 1990 have been landmark Supreme Court Cases in shaping the modern commercial practice in the United States of America due to their interpretation of the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution.

Landmark Supreme Court cases such as Mapp v Ohio in 1961, Gideon v. Wainwright in 1963, and Miranda v. Arizona were all Supreme Court cases that lead to what are commonly known as a suspected criminal's Miranda rights.

These Supreme Court cases have forced police to inform suspects that they have the right to an attorney and the right to not incriminate themselves (which is guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment), although the 2010 decision Berghuis v. Thompkins has made it clear that if a suspect wishes to resume the protection of Miranda after waiving it, the request to invoke Miranda must be explicit.

There have been several landmark Supreme Court cases dealing with the legal status and rights of minorities, such as Dred Scott v. Sandford in 1857, Plessy v. Ferguson in 1869, Korematsu v United States in 1944, and Regents of the University of California v. Bakke in 1978.

Other famous Supreme Court decisions include Roe v. Wade in 1973, US v. Nixon in 1974, and Bush v. Gore in 2000.

NEXT: Supreme Court Justices at a Glance