Supreme court milestones.Study the time line. Then answer the question below. TIME LINE 1790--With five Justices and one Chief Justice, the Supreme Court meets for the first time. 1803--In the case Marbury v. Madison Marbury v. Madison, case decided in 1803 by the U.S. Supreme Court. William Marbury had been commissioned justice of the peace in the District of Columbia by President John Adams in the "midnight appointments" at the very end of his administration. , the Supreme Court asserts its right to overturn laws passed by Congress that it finds unconstitutional. 1857--In a controversial ruling, Dred Scott v. Sandford In Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. (19 How.) 393, 15 L. Ed. 691 (1857), the U.S. Supreme Court faced the divisive issue of Slavery. Chief Justice roger b. taney, a former slaveholder, authored the Court's opinion, holding that the U.S. , the Court claims that slaves and their descendents cannot become U.S. citizens. It also says that Congress cannot prohibit slavery in U.S. territories. 1868--The Dred Scott decision Dred Scott decision formally Dred Scott v. Sandford 1857 ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States that made slavery legal in all U.S. territories. is overturned by the Fourteenth Amendment Fourteenth Amendment, addition to the U.S. Constitution, adopted 1868. The amendment comprises five sections. Section 1 Section 1 of the amendment declares that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are American citizens and citizens , which declares that no state shall "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law:' 1886--The Court decides that foreign residents of the U.S. are protected by the Fourteenth Amendment in Yick Wo v. Hopkins An 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Yick Wo v. Hopkins, 118 U.S. 356, 6 S. Ct. 1064, 30 L. Ed. 220 (1886), held that the unequal application of a law violates the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. . 1896--In Plessy v. Ferguson Plessy v. Ferguson, case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1896. The court upheld an 1890 Louisiana statute mandating racially segregated but equal railroad carriages, ruling that the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth amendment to the U.S. , the Court says that racial separation is legal if the accommodations are "separate but equal." 1954--The Court rules that "separate but equal" schools are unacceptable in Brown v. Board of Education Brown v. Board of Education (of Topeka) (1954) U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court ruled unanimously that racial segregation in public schools violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. . The decision overturns Plessy v. Ferguson. 1967--Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African-American to be appointed to the Supreme Court. 1974--In U.S. v. Nixon, the Court rules that the President cannot withhold evidence needed in a criminal trial. 1981--Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first female Justice. 2000--In Bush v. Gore Introduction In Bush v. Gore 531 U.S. 98, 121 S.Ct. 525, 148 L.Ed.2d 388 (U.S. 2000), the U.S Supreme Court ruled that the system devised by the Florida Supreme Court to recount the votes cast in the state during the 2000 U.S. , the Court rules that the state of Florida cannot continue to recount disputed votes without applying a consistent statewide standard, or "equal protection," as provided for in the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision leaves scholars divided over the role of the judiciary in the electoral arena. Panel 2: Supreme Court Milestones QUESTIONS 1. When did the Court meet for the first time? 2. Which case determined that the Supreme Court could decide if Congress's laws are constitutional? 3. Which amendment to the Constitution overturned the Dred Scott decision? 4. Which case required public schools to allow students of all races to attend? 5. Which came first, an African-American or a female Justice on the Supreme Court? Bonus: How many women serve on the Supreme Court now? How many African-Americans? Answers 1. 1790 2. Marbury v. Madison 3. The Fourteenth Amendment 4. Brown v. Board of Education 5. African-American; Bonus: two women, one African-American. |
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