Landmark Cases explores the case of a medical school applicant who claimed he was rejected in favor of less qualified minority applicants. The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of affirmative action while rejecting the university’s quotas.

Landmark Cases

Supreme Court Landmark Case Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

Landmark Cases explores the story of Troy Leon Gregg, a convicted armed robber and murderer who challenged his death sentence. The Supreme Court ruled against him in Gregg v. Georgia, but established guidelines for states using the death penalty.

Supreme Court Landmark Case Gregg v. Georgia

Landmark Cases explores how The New York Times and Washington Post successfully challenged the Nixon Administration for the right to publish what came to be known as the "Pentagon Papers," a classified history of U.S. military activity in Vietnam.

Supreme Court Landmark Case New York Times v. United States

Landmark Cases tells the story of five Des Moines, Iowa, students who wore black arm bands to school to protest the war in Vietnam, violating local school policies. The Supreme Court ruled students do not lose their 1st Amendment rights at school.

Supreme Court Landmark Case Tinker v. Des Moines

Landmark Cases presents Brandenburg v. Ohio, in which the Supreme Court overturned the hate speech conviction of Clarence Brandenburg, an Ohio Ku Klux Klan leader, on the grounds that the state law violated the 1st Amendment.

Supreme Court Landmark Case Brandenburg v. Ohio

Landmark Cases explores the case of Charles Katz, a bookie recorded by the FBI transmitting illegal bets from a telephone booth. The Supreme Court’s decision in Katz v. United States expanded Americans' right to privacy under the 4th Amendment.

Supreme Court Landmark Case Katz v. United States

Landmark Cases highlights Griswold v. Connecticut, in which Planned Parenthood challenged an 1879 state law banning the use of birth control. The Supreme Court ruled the law to be unconstitutional and established a still-evolving right to privacy.

Supreme Court Landmark Case Griswold v. Connecticut

Landmark Cases tells the story of Clarence Earl Gideon, a petty thief who spent his time in jail studying the law. His case, Gideon v. Wainwright, established a right to counsel for all accused criminals

Supreme Court Landmark Case Gideon v. Wainwright

Landmark Cases explores Plessy v. Ferguson, which came about after Homer Plessy, an African American man, was arrested in New Orleans for taking a train seat reserved for whites. The Court’s decision established the "separate but equal" doctrine.

Supreme Court Landmark Case Plessy v. Ferguson

Landmark Cases explores Yick Wo v. Hopkins, a case in which a Chinese laundromat owner challenged a discriminatory city ordnance. The Supreme Court ruled that the 14th Amendment’s promise of equal protection extends to immigrants and citizens.

Supreme Court Landmark Case Yick Wo v. Hopkins

Landmark Cases takes a look at the Civil Rights Cases of 1883, in which the Supreme Court struck down the Civil Rights Act of 1875, a federal law that had granted all people access to public accommodations like trains and theaters, regardless of race.

Supreme Court Landmark Civil Rights Cases of 1883

Landmark Cases explores [McCulloch v. Maryland], a case that solidified the federal government's ability to take actions not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution and restricted state action against the legitimate use of this power.

Supreme Court Landmark Case [McCulloch v. Maryland]

Clarke Forsythe and Melissa Murray talk about the 1973 Supreme Court case [Roe v. Wade], in which the court ruled that women have a constitutional, but not absolute, right to terminate pregnancy based on the determined viability of the fetus.

Supreme Court Landmark Case [Roe v. Wade]

Guests talk about the 1966 Supreme Court case [Miranda v. Arizona], in which the Court ruled that suspects must be informed of their right against self-incrimination and their right to consult with an attorney before being questioned by police.

Supreme Court Landmark Case [Miranda v. Arizona]

Theodore Olson and Douglas Smith talk about the 1962 Supreme Court case [Baker v. Carr], in which the Court ruled that the drawing of election districts could be considered by the Federal Courts.

Supreme Court Landmark Case [Baker v. Carr]

C-SPAN's 12-part television series produced in cooperation with the National Constitution Center, exploring the issues, people, and places involved in some of the most significant Supreme Court cases in our nation's history.

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Landmark Cases

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