Historic and Famous Supreme Court Cases (Part 2)

Historic and Famous Supreme Court Cases (Part 2)

Welcome back! We are glad you could join us to learn about even more famous Supreme Court cases. We also hope that you’ve enjoyed the first few we found to be extremely iconic. Here are even more to learn about!

• 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges (5-4): This extremely iconic and most recent court case legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Even though it was an extremely close vote amongst the judges, it was an outcome that the LGBTQ community had been hoping and fighting for, for years. Whether you agree with this decision or not, it means greater equality for all of our nation’s citizens.
• 2013 United States v. Windsor (5-4): This close vote mandated that the federal government provide legal benefits to same-sex couples who had been lawfully married in states where same-sex marriage had been legalized. These benefits are exactly the same as they are for heterosexual couples, including things like tax breaks, shared healthcare plans, etc.
• 1803 Marbury v. Madison (4-0): Going back to some of the earlier days in the Court’s existence, this case gave the Supreme Court the power of judicial review over the legislative branch (Congress). If you’ve ever heard of the “balance of powers” in your U.S. history class, this case was an integral part to ensuring that no one branch had too much power over the others.
• 1954 Brown v. Board of Education (9-0): This is one of the cases that everyone learns about in school, and for a good reason. This was the case that deemed the separation of black and white students in the public school system as unconstitutional. Even though this case didn’t solve all of the race issues that had been building up and going on for years, it was definitely a step in the right direction in terms of trying to break down racial barriers and increase overall inclusion of race into the school system.
• 1967 Loving v. Virginia (9-0): A few years after the historic Brown v. Board of Education vote, this case made it legal for interracial couples to legally marry. Well, rather than making it legal, it invalidated state laws that prohibited interracial marriage. If an interracial couple was already legally married in a state that allowed for this, they weren’t directly affected by the decision.

To be continued…

Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (12/5/24).Uncredited DOJ photographer, Public domain