Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: Swann v. Board of Education (1971)
The decision for Swann vs. Board of Education of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, concerning the integration and desegration of public schools.
Other
Us Supreme Court to Reconsider the Right to Remain Silent!
This article sums up the anticipated views of Supreme Court members on the occasion of the arguments to reverse the Miranda decision.
Digital History
Digital History: War on the Judiciary
The Judiciary Act of 1801 was a final attempt by the Federalists to control the judicial system before the Democratic Republicans took over. Read about the repeal of the act, which resulted in a landmark Supreme Court decision, Marybury...
PBS
Enlightenment: Brown v. Board of Education
Site offers background, further study links, the issue before the court, the ruling and results, and discussion ideas for the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
Cornell University
Cornell University: Law School: Grutter v. Bollinger
U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the Grutter v. Bollinger case involving affirmative action.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: Article Iii: Judicial Power
Annotations to Article III on the characteristics and attributes of judicial power as related to specific Supreme Court decisions. The author distinguishes between judicial power and jurisdiction.
iCivics
I Civics: Elk v. Wilkins (1884)
This mini-lesson examines the Supreme Court's ruling that the 14th Amendment's Citizenship Clause did not apply to American Indians born on Native reservations. Learners analyze a primary document and discover how the lack of citizenship...
iCivics
I Civics: Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association (1988)
This mini-instructional activity examines the Supreme Court case that pitted the interests of government economic projects against the religious rights of American Indians. Students learn about the religious protections of the First...
Digital History
Digital History: The 14th Amendment and the Jim Crow Laws [Pdf]
Read about the background of the passage of the 14th Amendment which resulted in the famous case before the Supreme Court, Plessy v Ferguson, almost thirty years later. Suggested student exercises ask students to assess the issue of...
PBS
Pbs: Dred Scott's Fight for Freedom (1846 1857)
Provides information on Dred Scott and his fight for freedom, and the events leading up to the Supreme Court trial in 1857.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Plessy v. Ferguson
The decision of the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson kept black and white people separate in all public areas for many years. To find out what that meant, and to see some actual photographs, visit this page.
Cornell University
Cornell University: Law School: Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Provides a syllabus for the landmark Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright which held that state courts are required to provide counsel in criminal cases for defendants unable to afford their own attorneys or lawyers.
Digital History
Digital History: Religion in Public Schools: Engle v. Vitale
Read the background of the Supreme Court case, Engle v Vitale, in which school prayer was banned. Find Justice Hugo Black's opinion confirming that decision.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: Dred Scott: Dissenting Opinions and Reactions
Describes the fallout after the Dred Scott decision by the US Supreme Court, where two judges released their dissenting opinions, newspaper articles both reviled and supported the decision, and public debate raged.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: Impact of Dred Scott: The Road to Civil War
After the Dred Scott decision by the US Supreme Court, the friction between the North and South over slavery escalated, and the North began to fear that they might not be able to prevent slavery from spreading into their states. The Dred...
Cornell University
Cornell University: Law School: Schenck v. United States (1919)
Features a syllabus of the landmark Supreme Court case of Schenck v. United States which decided that the defendant's right to criticize the draft was not protected by the First Amendment.
Illinois Institute of Technology
Oyez Project: New York Times v. United States (1971)
This U.S. Supreme Court case allowed the publication of the "Pentagon Papers." The OYEZ resource provides an abstract containing a concise summary, an audio file, a link to the full text of the decision and a record of how the justices...
Cornell University
Cornell University: Law School: United States v. Lopez (1995)
Presents the complete syllabus for the landmark Supreme Court case of United States v. Lopez. This case dealt with limits to Congress's power under the Commerce Clause.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Dred Scott v. Sandford
This site from the Encyclopedia Wikipedia provides information on the Dred Scott case, as it progressed through the Missouri state court, the Federal court system, and the appeal that went to the Supreme Court.
Illinois Institute of Technology
Regents of University of California v. Bakke (1978)
The U.S. Supreme Court case that allowed affirmative action to be a criteria for admission decisions in institutes of higher education.
Digital History
Digital History: Affirmative Action and the Case of Allan Bakke [Pdf]
The history of affirmative action was interwoven with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Read about how the federal government under both President Kennedy and President Nixon attempted to open up jobs to...
Illinois Institute of Technology
Oyez: Summary of Zelman v. Simmons Harris
This is a great summary of Zelman v. Simmons-Harris where the Supreme Court upheld school vouchers. Gives the dates the case was heard and decided, facts of the case, legal question presented, the courts decision, and how each justice...
Boston College
Boston College: Bigelow v. Virginia
Complete syllabus and decision on the Supreme Court case Bigelow v. Virginia (1975).
iCivics
I Civics: Mini Lesson: Judicial Activism & Restraint
Lesson teaches the judicial philosophies of activism and restraint and also explores criteria through which students can evaluate news-related opinion pieces and practice judging the value of a Supreme Court-related opinion piece of choice.