List of Landmark Court Decisions in The United States - Other Areas

Other Areas

• Fletcher v. Peck, 10 U.S. 87 (1810) For the first time the Court struck down a State law as unconstitutional. A State legislature (in this case, Georgia) can repeal a previous, corruptly made law (in this case, a land grant), but not void valid contracts made under this law.
• Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 17 U.S. 518 (1819) extended contract rights to corporations and established the differences between public and private corporations .
• The Paquete Habana, 175 U.S. 677 (1900) Ruled that federal courts could look to customary international law because it is an integrated part of American law.
• Lochner v. New York, 198 U.S. 45 (1905), asserted that the "right to free contract" or "liberty of contract" is implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
• Brown v. Mississippi, 297 U.S. 278 (1936) A defendant's confession that is extracted by police violence cannot be entered as evidence and violates the Due Process Clause.
• Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64 (1938) Federal courts do not have the power to create general federal common law when hearing state law claims under diversity jurisdiction (led to the development of the Erie doctrine).
• Reid v. Covert, 354 U.S. 1 (1957), The U.S. Constitution supersedes all treaties ratified by the United States Senate.
• Williams v. Lee, 358 U.S. 217 (1959) State courts do not have jurisdiction on Indian reservations without Congressional authorization, to allow state infringement undermines tribal sovereignty.
• Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962) The reapportionment of state legislative districts is not a political question, and is justiciable by the federal courts.
• Reynolds v. Sims, 337 U.S. 533 (1964) A complimentary case on Baker v. Carr, which stated that districts must be of as equal population as mathematically possible, so as to ensure equal protection. This case also applied to districts in the federal House of Representatives.
• Menominee Tribe v. United States, 391 U.S. 404 (1968) Native American treaty rights are not abrogated without a clear and unequivocal statement by Congress and that statutes and treaties are to be construed liberally in favor of the tribe.
• Goldberg v. Kelly, 397 U.S. 254 (1970) Entitlement programs such as welfare conferred property rights on recipients, and their termination required procedural due process.
• San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, 411 U.S. 1 (1973) use of property tax as means to finance public education does not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
• Oneida Indian Nation of New York v. County of Oneida, 414 U.S. 661 (1974) there is federal subject-matter jurisdiction for possessory land claims brought by Indian tribes based upon aboriginal title, the Nonintercourse Act, and Indian treaties.
• Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319 (1976) Established test for deciding what process is due when procedural due process applies that balances (1) the government's interests, (2) the individual's interest, and (3) the likelihood of making an inaccurate decision using the existing procedures and probable value of additional procedural safeguards.
• Nixon v. General Services Administration, 433 U.S. 425 (1977) Congress has the power to pass an act directing the seizure and disposition, within the control of the Executive Branch, of the papers and tapes of a former president.
• Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837 (1984), a government agency's interpretation of its own mandate from Congress is entitled to judicial deference if the authority is ambiguous and the agency's interpretation is reasonable.
• Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc., 464 U.S. 417 (1984), making of individual copies of complete television shows for purposes of time-shifting does not constitute copyright infringement, but is fair use.
• Feist Publications v. Rural Telephone Service, 499 U.S. 340 (1991), originality, not sweat of the brow, is the touchstone of copyright protection.
• Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 509 U.S. 579 (1993) expert evidence must be generally accepted in the scientific community (Daubert standard).
• Nobleman v. American Savings Bank, 508 U.S. 324 (1993) disallowed the use of cram downs for primary residences.
• Breard v. Greene, 523 U.S. 371 (1998), rejected jurisdiction of International Court of Justice in a capital punishment case dealing with a citizen of Paraguay.
• Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000), ended the recount of ballots in Florida in the 2000 presidential election as violative of the Equal Protection Clause, effectively resolving the election in favor of George W. Bush.
• Rasul v. Bush, 542 U.S. 466 (2004), 542 U.S. 466 The U.S. court system has the authority to decide whether foreign nationals (non-U.S. citizens) held in Guantanamo Bay were wrongfully imprisoned.
• Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005), upheld power of a local government to seize property for economic development purposes.
• Boumediene v. Bush, 553 U.S. 723 (2008), foreign terrorism suspects have constitutional rights to challenge their detention at the Guantánamo Bay naval base in United States courts.
• Cuomo v. Clearing House Association, 557 U.S. 08-453 (2009), states can enforce their own laws and regulations against national banks and financial institutions.