- 1789
| Sep 24 | John Jay appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by George Washington; to serve six years. | Ref: 10 |
| Sep 24 | Congress passed the First Judiciary Act, which provided for an attorney general and a Supreme Court. | Ref: 70 |
- 1790
| Feb 01 | In the Royal Exchange Building on New York City’s Broad Street, the Supreme Court of the United States meets for the first time, with Chief Justice John Jay of New York presiding. | Ref: 3 |
- 1795
| Jul 01 | John Rutledge becomes 2nd chief justice of Supreme Court. | Ref: 5 |
- 1801
| Jan 20 | John Marshall was appointed chief justice of the United States. | Ref: 70 |
| Feb 04 | John Marshall was sworn in as chief justice of the United States. | Ref: 70 |
- 1803
| Feb 24 | Chief Justice John Marshall, by refusing to rule on the case of Marbury vs. Madison, gives the Supreme Court its greatest power. | Ref: 2 |
- 1804
| Nov 30 | Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase goes on trial, accused of political bias. (He was acquitted by the Senate.) | Ref: 70 |
- 1809
| Feb 20 | The Supreme Court rules the power of the federal government is greater than that of any individual state. | Ref: 5 |
- 1815
| Feb 17 | In deciding the legal case "Terrett v. Taylor," the U.S. Supreme Court declared unconstitutional an act of the Virginia Legislature which denied property rights to Protestant Episcopal churches in the state. The Court ruled that religious corporations, like other corporations, have rights to their property. | Ref: 5 |
- 1816
| Mar 20 | The Supreme Court affirms its right to review state court decisions. | Ref: 70 |
- 1837
| Mar 03 | Congress increases Supreme Court membership from 7 to 9. | Ref: 5 |
- 1857
| Mar 06 | The Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision holds that blacks cannot be citizens; the Supreme Court held that Scott, a slave, could not sue for his freedom in federal court.
The Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision holds that blacks cannot be citizens. | Ref: 2 |
| Mar 07 | Dred Scott case ends with Supreme Court holding that a slave cannot sue for freedom in federal court. | Ref: 17 |
- 1861
| May 25 | John Merryman is arrested under suspension of writ of habeas corpus it later sparks a supreme court decision protecting the writ. | Ref: 5 |
- 1865
| Feb 01 | JS Rock, first black lawyer to practice in Supreme Court, admitted to bar. | Ref: 5 |
- 1869
| Apr 10 | Congress increases number of Supreme Court judges from 7 to 9. | Ref: 5 |
- 1872
| Apr 15 | In deciding the legal case "Watson v. Jones," the U.S. Supreme Court declared that a member of a religious organization may not appeal to secular courts against a decision made by a church tribunal within the area of its competence. | Ref: 5 |
- 1875
| Mar 01 | Congress passes the Civil Rights Act, which is invalidated by the Supreme Court in 1883. | Ref: 2 |
- 1878
| Jan 14 | The US Supreme court rules race separation on trains unconstitutional. | Ref: 5 |
- 1879
| Feb 15 | U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill into law granting female lawyers the right to be admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the nation’s highest tribunal. | Ref: 3 |
| Mar 03 | Belva Lockwood becomes the first woman admitted to practice before Supreme Court. | Ref: 5 |
- 1883
| Oct 15 | The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down a significant part of the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which forbade racial discrimination and segregation in public places. The Court holds that only state-imposed discrimination is unlawful, not discrimination by individuals or corporations. | Ref: 3 |
| Nov 03 | The U.S. Supreme Court declares American Indians to be "dependent aliens." | Ref: 2 |
- 1892
| Jun 07 | Homer Plessy, a man of mixed race was arrested when he refused to move from a seat reserved for whites on a train in New Orleans. The case led to the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark "separate but equal" decision in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. | Ref: 70 |
- 1896
| May 18 | The Supreme Court endorsed "separate but equal" racial segregation with its "Plessy versus Ferguson" decision, a ruling that was overturned 58 years later. | Ref: 5 |
- 1898
| Mar 28 | The Supreme Court ruled that a child born in the United States to Chinese immigrants was a U.S. citizen, and therefore could not be deported under the Chinese Exclusion Act. | Ref: 70 |
- 1904
| Jan 04 | The U.S. Supreme Court decides in the Gonzales v. Williams case that Puerto Ricans are not aliens and can enter the United States freely, yet stops short of awarding citizenship. | Ref: 2 |
- 1905
| Apr 17 | US Supreme court judges maximum work day unconstitutional. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 08 | The Supreme Court held that a maximum hours law for New York bakery workers was unconstitutional under the due process clause of the 14th ammendment. | Ref: 59 |
- 1908
| Feb 03 | The U.S. Supreme Court rules that union-sponsored boycotts are illegal, and applies the Sherman Antitrust Act to labor as well as capital. | Ref: 2 |
- 1911
| May 01 | The Supreme Court orders the dissolution of Standard Oil Company and American Tobacco Company, ruling they were in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. | Ref: 70 |
- 1915
| Jan 25 | The Supreme Court upholds "yellow dog" contracts, which forbid membership in labor unions. | Ref: 59 |
- 1916
| Jan 24 | US Supreme Court rules income tax was unconstitutional. | Ref: 62 |
- 1917
| Mar 15 | The Supreme Court approved the Eight-Hour Act under the threat of a national railway strike. | Ref: 59 |
| Mar 19 | The Adamson Act, eight hour day for railroad workers, is ruled constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. | Ref: 2 |
| Nov 05 | Supreme Court decision (Buchanan v Warley) strikes down Lousiville KY ordinance requiring blacks & whites to live in separate areas. | Ref: 5 |
- 1918
| Jun 03 | A Federal child labor law, enacted two years earlier, was declared unconstitutional. A new law was enacted 24 February 1919, but this one too was declared unconstitutional (on 2 June 1924). | Ref: 5 |
- 1921
| Nov 14 | The Cherokee Indians ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review their claim to 1 million acres of land in TX. | Ref: 2 |
| Dec 21 | Supreme Court rules labor injunctions & picketing unconstitutional. | Ref: 5 |
- 1922
| Feb 27 | The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the 19th Amendment to the Constitution that guaranteed the right of women to vote. | Ref: 70 |
| May 29 | The Supreme Court rules that organized baseball is a sport and not a business which exempts major league clubs from antitrust laws and interstate commerce rules. | Ref: 1 |
- 1924
| Mar 10 | The U.S. Supreme Court upholds a New York state law forbidding late-night work for women. | Ref: 2 |
- 1925
| Feb 13 | US Congress makes Surpreme Court appeal more difficult. | Ref: 5 |
- 1926
| Jan 29 | Violette Neatley Anderson becomes the first African-American woman admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. | Ref: 2 |
- 1927
| Mar 07 | A Texas law that bans Negroes from voting is ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. | Ref: 2 |
| May 16 | Supreme court rules that bootleggers must file income-tax forms even though bootlegging was illegal. | Ref: 5 |
- 1930
| May 26 | Supreme Court rules buying liquor does not violate the Constitution. | Ref: 5 |
- 1933
| Jun 16 | The National Industrial Recovery Act became law. (It was later struck down by the Supreme Court.) | Ref: 5 |
- 1935
| May 27 | The Supreme Court declares President Franklin Roosevelt's National Recovery Act unconstitutional. | Ref: 2 |
- 1937
| Feb 05 | President Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of Supreme Court justices; critics charged Roosevelt was attempting to "pack" the court. (Go to article.) | Ref: 70 |
| Jul 22 | The Senate rejected President Franklin D. Roosevelt's proposal to add more justices to the Supreme Court. | Ref: 70 |
- 1939
| Feb 27 | The Supreme Court outlaws sit-down strikes. | Ref: 5 |
- 1940
| Nov 13 | U.S. Supreme Court rules in Hansberry v. Lee that African Americans cannot be barred from white neighborhoods. | Ref: 2 |
- 1941
| Feb 03 | The US Supreme Court upholds the Wages and Hours (later Fair Labor Standards) Act which banned child labor and set the 40-hour work week. | Ref: 5 |
- 1942
| Jun 14 | The Supreme Court rules that requiring students to salute the American flag is unconstitutional. | Ref: 2 |
| Dec 21 | Six week Nevada divorces upheld by the Supreme Court. | Ref: 5 |
- 1943
| Jun 14 | The Supreme Court ruled schoolchildren could not be compelled to salute the flag of the United States if doing so would conflict with their religious beliefs. | Ref: 5 |
- 1944
| Apr 03 | The U.S. Supreme Court rules that black citizens are eligible to vote in all elections, including primaries. | Ref: 2 |
| Apr 24 | In deciding the legal case "United States v. Ballard," the US Supreme Court upheld the general principle that "the truth of religious claims is not for secular authority to determine." | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 18 | The Supreme Court upheld the wartime relocation of Japanese-Americans, but also said undeniably loyal Americans of Japanese ancestry could not be detained. | Ref: 70 |
- 1946
| Nov 25 | The U.S. Supreme Court grants the Oregon Indians land payment rights from the U.S. government. | Ref: 2 |
- 1948
| Jan 12 | The Supreme Court rules that states could not discriminate against law-school applicants because of race. | Ref: 70 |
| Jan 12 | US Supreme Court decision (Sipuel vs Oklahoma State Board of Regents). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 08 | The U.S. Supreme Court rules that religious instruction in public schools is unconstitutional. | Ref: 2 |
| May 03 | The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks and other minorities were legally unenforceable. | Ref: 70 |
- 1950
| Jun 05 | US Supreme Court undermines legal foundations of segregation. | Ref: 5 |
- 1951
| Jan 15 | Supreme Court rule "clear & present danger" of incitement to riot is not protected speech & can be a cause for arrest. | Ref: 5 |
- 1952
| Nov 10 | U.S. Supreme Court upholds the decision barring segregation on interstate railways. | Ref: 2 |
- 1953
| Jun 10 | The Supreme Court ruled that restaurants in the District of Columbia could not refuse to serve blacks. | Ref: 70 |
- 1954
| May 17 | The Supreme Court rules on the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka KS, unanimously agreeing that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. The ruling paves the way for large-scale desegregation. It is a victory for NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall, who will later return to the Supreme Court as the nation's first black justice. Ref | |
- 1955
| Feb 14 | A Jewish couple loses their fight to adopt Catholic twins as the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to rule on state law. | Ref: 2 |
| May 31 | The Supreme Court orders that states must end racial segregation "with all deliberate speed." | Ref: 2 |
- 1956
| Mar 05 | The U.S. Supreme Court affirms the ban on segregation in public schools in Brown vs. Board of Education. | Ref: 2 |
| Apr 23 | US Supreme court ends race segregation on buses. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 13 | The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously strikes down two Alabama laws requiring racial segragation on public buses. | Ref: 2 |
- 1957
| Feb 25 | Supreme Court decides 6-3, baseball is the only antitrust exempt pro sport. | Ref: 5 |
- 1958
| Sep 29 | U.S. Supreme Court orders racial integration of Central High School, Little Rock Arkansas. | Ref: 10 |
- 1959
| May 25 | Supreme Court rules that Louisiana prohibiting black-white boxing is unconstitutional. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 07 | The Taft-Hartley Act is invoked by the Supreme Court to break a steel strike. | Ref: 59 |
- 1961
| Jan 23 | Supreme Court rules cities & states have right to censor films. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 19 | US Supreme Court struck down a provision in Maryland's constitution requiring state office holders to believe in God. | Ref: 5 |
- 1962
| Feb 26 | US Supreme court disallows race separation on public transportation. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 26 | Supreme Court backs 1-man-1-vote apportionment of seats in state legislature | Ref: 2 |
| Jun 25 | The US Supreme Court ruled (5 to 4) that prayers in public schools violated the First Amendment to the Constitution regarding the separation of church and state. | Ref: 4 |
- 1963
| Mar 18 | Supreme Court's Miranda Decision: defendants must have lawyers. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 17 | The Supreme Court struck down rules requiring the recitation of the Lord's Prayer or reading of Biblical verses in public schools. | Ref: 70 |
- 1964
| Feb 17 | The Supreme court issues its "one man, one vote" ruling saying congressional districts within each state must be roughly equal in population | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 09 | Supreme Court issues New York Times vs Sullivan decision, public officials must prove malice to claim libel & recover damages. | Ref: 5 |
| May 18 | Supreme Court rules unconstitutional to deprive naturalized citizens of citizenship if they return to home country for more than 3 years. | Ref: 5 |
| May 25 | Supreme Court rules closing schools to avoid desegregation unconstitutional. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 22 | The United States Supreme Court voted that Henry Miller’s controversial book, Tropic of Cancer, could not be banned. | Ref: 4 |
- 1965
| May 24 | Supreme Court declares federal law allowing post office to intercept communist propaganda is unconstitutional. | Ref: 5 |
- 1966
| Mar 21 | Supreme Court reverses Massachusetts ruling that "Fanny Hill" is obscene. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 25 | US Supreme court rules "poll tax" unconstitutional. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 06 | The US Supreme Court grants Sam Sheppard a new trial. (Ref: Dayton Daily News, 01/30/00, p 6A) | |
| Jun 13 | The Supreme Court issued its landmark "Miranda" decision, ruling that criminal suspects had to be informed of their constitutional rights prior to questioning by police. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 18 | Supreme Court bans racial discrimination in sale & rental of housing. | Ref: 5 |
- 1967
| Jun 12 | Supreme Court passes Living v. Virginia which makes State laws against interracial marriage illegal. (XDG, p 4A, 6/12/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Jun 23 | Thurgood Marshall was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. He was the first black to sit on that high court. | Ref: 4 |
- 1968
| Jun 18 | Supreme Court bans racial discrimination in sale & rental of housing. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 21 | Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren resigns. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 12 | The U.S. Supreme Court voids an Arkansas law banning the teaching of evolution in public schools. | Ref: 3 |
- 1969
| Apr 07 | The Supreme Court unanimously struck down laws prohibiting private possession of obscene material. | Ref: 70 |
| May 15 | Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas resigned amid a controversy over his past legal fees. | Ref: 17 |
| Jun 11 | The U.S. Senate confirmed Warren Burger to be chief justice of the United States, succeeding Earl Warren. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 16 | Supreme Court rules suspension of Adam Clayton Powell Jr from House. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 23 | Warren Burger is sworn in as chief justice of the United States, succeeding Earl Warren. also Ref | Ref: 17 |
| Oct 29 | The U.S. Supreme Court orders immediate desegregation, superseding the previous "with all deliberate speed" ruling. | Ref: 2 |
- 1970
| Mar 02 | Supreme Court ruled draft evaders can not be penalized after 5 years. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 08 | The Senate rejected President Richard Nixon's nomination of G. Harold Carswell to the Supreme Court. | Ref: 70 |
| May 04 | In deciding the legal case "Walz v. Tax Commission of New York," the United States Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a New York statute exempting church-owned property from taxation. | Ref: 5 |
- 1971
| Apr 14 | Supreme Court upheld busing as means of achieving racial desegregation. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 20 | The United States Supreme Court upheld the use of busing to achieve racial desegregation in schools. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 28 | The U.S. Supreme Court declared that state underwriting of nonreligious instruction in parochial schools was unconstitutional. | Ref: 5 |
- 1972
| Jan 24 | The Supreme Court struck down laws that denied welfare benefits to people who had resided in a state for less than a year. | Ref: 70 |
| Mar 21 | The Supreme Court ruled that states may not require one year residency for voting eligibility. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 29 | The Supreme Court ruled the death penalty, as it was being meted out, could constitute "cruel and unusual punishment." (The ruling prompted states to revise their capital punishment laws.) | Ref: 70 |
- 1973
| Jan 22 | Roe vs Wade. The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down state laws that had restricted abortions during the first six months of pregnancy. The famous Roe vs. Wade case spawned the debate between a woman’s right to end her pregnancy and whether such an abortion is murder of an unborn child. | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 27 | U.S. Supreme Court rules that a Virginia pool club can't bar residents because of color. | Ref: 2 |
| May 14 | US Supreme court approves equal rights to females in military. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 21 | The Supreme Court ruled that states may ban materials found to be obscene according to local standards. | Ref: 70 |
- 1974
| Jan 21 | The U.S. Supreme Court decides that pregnant teachers can no longer be forced to take long leaves of absence. | Ref: 2 |
- 1976
| Jan 30 | The U.S. Supreme Court bans spending limits in campaigns, equating funds with freedom of speech. | Ref: 2 |
| Jan 31 | Ernesto Miranda, famous from the Supreme Court ruling on Miranda vs. Arizona is stabbed to death. | Ref: 2 |
| Feb 25 | The U.S. Supreme Court rules that states may ban the hiring of illegal aliens. | Ref: 2 |
| Jul 02 | The Supreme Court ruled the death penalty was not inherently cruel or unusual. | Ref: 70 |
| Oct 04 | In Gregg v. Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court lifts the ban (set on 6/29/1972 as against the 8th amendment) on the death sentence in murder cases. This restores the legality of capital punishment, which had not been practiced since 1967. The first execution following this ruling was Gary Gilmore in 1977. | Ref: 2 |
- 1977
| Apr 14 | Supreme Court says people may refuse to display state motto on license. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 20 | Supreme Court rules "Live Free or Die" may be covered on NH licenses. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 06 | Supreme Court tossed out automatic death penalty laws | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 27 | 5-4 Supreme Court decision allows lawyers to advertise. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 29 | Supreme Court ruled out death penalty for rapists of adults. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 12 | President Jimmy Carter defends the Supreme Court decision limiting government payments for poor women's abortions saying, "There are many things in life that are not fair." (XDG, p 4A, 7/12/2002) | Ref: 83 |
| Oct 12 | US Supreme Court heard arguments in "reverse discrimination" case of Allan Bakke, white student denied admission to U of Calif Med School. | Ref: 5 |
- 1978
| Apr 25 | Supreme Court rules pension plans can't require women to pay more. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 28 | The Supreme Court ordered the medical school at the University of California at Davis to admit Allan Bakke, a white man who argued he had been a victim of reverse racial discrimination. | Ref: 70 |
| Jul 03 | Supreme Court rules 5-4, FCC had a right to reprimand NY radio station WBAI for broadcasting George Carlin's "Filthy Words". | Ref: 5 |
- 1979
| Mar 27 | Supreme Court rules, 8-1, cops can't randomly stop cars. | Ref: 5 |
- 1981
| Mar 23 | The US Supreme Court upholds a law making statutory rape a crime for men but not women. | Ref: 2 |
| Mar 23 | The US Supreme Court ruled that states could require, with some exceptions, parental notification when teen-age girls seek abortions. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 25 | Supreme Court upholds male-only draft registration, constitutional. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 01 | The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that candidates for federal office had an “affirmative right” to go on national television. The ruling limited a TV network’s right to determine when political campaigns begin and who may buy time. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 08 | Senate confirms Sandra Day O'Conner to Supreme Court (99-0). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 08 | In one of its major rulings regarding the issue of the separation of Church and State, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of student organizations holding religious services at public colleges and universities. | Ref: 5 |
- 1983
| May 24 | Supreme Court rules government can deny tax breaks to schools that racially discriminated against students. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 15 | Supreme Court struck down state & local restrictions on abortion. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 06 | Supreme Court rules retirement plans can't pay women less. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 09 | Reaffirming its earlier position, the United States Supreme Court rules, 7-2 baseball is a sport and not a business; this decision exempts baseball from anti-trusts laws. | Ref: 1 |
- 1984
| Jan 11 | Supreme Court reinstated $10M award to Karen Silkwood's family. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 17 | Supreme Court rules (5-4) private use of home VCRs to tape TV programs for later viewing does not violate federal copyright laws. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 05 | The U.S. Supreme Court rules (5-4) that cities have the right to display the Nativity scene as part of their Christmas display. | Ref: 2 |
| Jun 19 | First live TV appearance by Chief Justice Warren Burger (Nightline). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 27 | The US Supreme Court ruled that individual colleges could make their own TV package deals. The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) contracts with ABC, CBS and Turner Broadcasting were said to violate federal anti-trust laws. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 03 | Supreme Court rules Jaycees may be forced to admit women as members. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 05 | Supreme Court weakens 70-year-old "exclusionary rule"-evidence seized with defective court warrants can now be used in criminal trials. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 05 | The Supreme Court ruled that the NFL could not block future franchise moves and had exceeded antitrust limits in attempting to stop a move by the Oakland Raiders to Los Angeles. | Ref: 4 |
- 1985
| Jun 04 | The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling striking down an Alabama law providing for a daily minute of silence in public schools. | Ref: 70 |
| Jul 01 | The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public school teachers may not enter parochial school classrooms, to provide remedial or enrichment instruction. | Ref: 5 |
- 1986
| Mar 25 | Supreme Court rules Air Force could ban wearing of yarmulkes. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 11 | A divided Supreme Court struck down a Pennsylvania abortion law while reaffirming its 1973 decision establishing a constitutional right to abortion. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 30 | In a 5-to-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that states could outlaw homosexual acts between consenting adults. | Ref: 70 |
| Jul 02 | Supreme Court upheld affirmative action in 2 rulings. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 07 | Supreme Court struck down Gramm-Rudman deficit-reduction law. | Ref: 5 |
- 1987
| Feb 25 | US Supreme Court upholds (5-4) affirmative action. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 25 | Supreme Court rules women/minorities may get jobs if less qualified. | Ref: 5 |
| May 04 | The US Supreme Court rules that women can be members of the Rotary Club. Ref | |
| May 26 | Supreme Court ruled dangerous defendants could be held without bail. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 19 | The Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law requiring public schools to teach creationism if they taught evolutionism. The court ruled that the state law violated the First Amendment. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 01 | President Reagan nominated federal appeals court judge Robert H. Bork to the Supreme Court. Bork was rejected by the Senate. | Ref: 70 |
- 1988
| Jan 13 | Supreme Court rules (5-3) public school officials have broad powers to censor school newspapers, plays & other expressive activities. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 24 | The U.S. Supreme Court votes eight to zero to overturn the $200,000 settlement awarded to the Reverend Jerry Falwell for his emotional distress at being parodied in Hustler, a pornographic magazine. The Court ruled that although in poor taste, Hustler's parody fell within the First Amendment's protection of freedom of speech and the press. | Ref: 2 |
| May 16 | US Supreme Court rules trash may be searched without a warrant. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 13 | US Supreme Court refuses to hear Yonkers argument they aren't racist. | Ref: 5 |
- 1989
| Mar 22 | US Supreme Court upholds 1 person 1 vote rule of New York NY Board of Estimate. | Ref: 5 |
| May 01 | US Supreme Court rules employees have legal burden to prove non-discriminatory reasons for not hiring or promoting. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 21 | The US Supreme Court in TX v. Johnson ruled that burning the American flag as a political protest is protected by the First Amendment. In 1984, on Dallas City Hall property, Gregory Lee Johnson burned an American flag to protest Reagan administration policies. He was tried and convicted (one year in jail and $2,000 fine) under a TX law outlawing flag desecration. The TX Court of Criminal Appeals had reversed the conviction and the state then appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled 5-to-4 against the TX law. | Ref: 4 |
| Jun 23 | The Supreme Court refused to shut down the "dial-a-porn" industry, ruling Congress had gone too far in passing a law banning all sexually-oriented phone message services. | Ref: 6 |
| Jul 03 | Supreme Court rules states do not have to provide funds for abortions | Ref: 5 |
- 1990
| Apr 18 | Supreme Court rules that states could make it a crime to possess or look at child pornography, even in one's home. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 11 | The Supreme Court struck down a federal law prohibiting desecration of the American flag. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 14 | The US Supreme Court upholds police checkpoints to examine drivers for intoxication. (XDG, p 4A, 6/14/2000) | Ref: 83 |
- 1991
| Feb 09 | US Supreme Court agrees to hear Joseph Doherty case. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 20 | The Supreme Court rules that employers could not adopt "fetal protection" policies barring women of child-bearing age from certain hazardous jobs. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 26 | A divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled that criminal defendants whose coerced confessions were improperly used as evidence are not always entitled to new trials. | Ref: 64 |
| Apr 01 | Supreme Court rules jurors can't be barred from serving due to race. | Ref: 5 |
| May 23 | In a five-to-four vote, the US Supreme Court upheld regulations barring federally subsidized family planning clinics from discussing abortion with pregnant women, or from telling women where they could get abortions. | Ref: 5 |
| May 30 | The US Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors can be sued for the legal advice they give police and can be forced to pay damages when that advice leads to someone's rights being violated. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 13 | The US Supreme Court ruled a jailed suspect represented by a lawyer in one criminal case sometimes may be questioned by police about another crime without the lawyer present. | Ref: 6 |
| Jun 24 | The US Supreme Court ruled the First Amendment did not shield news organizations from being sued when they publish the names of sources who had been promised confidentiality. | Ref: 6 |
| Jun 27 | The Supreme Court ruled that juries considering life or death for convicted murderers may take into account the victim's character and the suffering of relatives. | Ref: 64 |
| Oct 16 | US Supreme Court begins to hear Joseph Doherty case. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 10 | The U.S. Supreme Court struck down NY’s Son of Sam Law that forced criminals’ profits for selling their stories to be seized and given to their victims. The High Court held that the NY law was inconsistent with the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. | Ref: 4 |
- 1992
| Jan 15 | Supreme Court rules 5-3 that Joseph Doherty isn't entitled to asylum. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 21 | The Supreme Court agreed to review a Pennsylvania law imposing wait periods and other restrictions on abortions. The court later upholds most restrictions while reaffirming women's constitutional right to abortion. (XDG, p 4A, 1/21/2002). | Ref: 83 |
| Apr 06 | US Supreme Court rules a Nebraska farmer was entrapped by postal agents into buying mail-order child pornography. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 22 | The Supreme Court heard arguments on Pennsylvania's restrictive abortion law. The court upheld most of the law's provisions the following June, but also reaffirmed a woman's basic right to an abortion. (XDG, p 4A, 4/22/2002) | Ref: 83 |
| May 18 | Supreme Court rules states could not force mentally unstable criminal defendants to take anti-psychotic drugs. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 11 | The Supreme Court ruled that people who commit hate crimes may be sentenced to extra punishment. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 22 | The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that hate-crime laws that ban cross-burning and similar expressions of racial bias violated free-speech rights. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 29 | A divided Supreme Court ruled that women have a constitutional right to abortion, but the justices also weakened the right as defined by the Roe vs. Wade decision. | Ref: 70 |
| Nov 30 | The US Supreme Court sustained women's basic right to abortion, voting 6-3 against reviviing a 1990 Guam law that would have prohibited nearly all such procedures. (XDG, p 4A, 11/30/2002) | Ref: 83 |
- 1993
| Mar 19 | Supreme Court Justice Byron R White announced plans to retire. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 11 | The US Supreme Court rules that religious groups have a constitutional right to sacrifice animals in worship services. (XDG, p 4A, 6/11/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Jun 14 | President Clinton chooses Judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg, an advocate of women's rights, to serve on the Supreme Court, surprising observers who'd predicted Clinton's choice would be Judge Stephen Breyer. (XDG, p 4A, 6/14/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Jun 18 | The US Supreme Court rules that deaf parochial school students may be provided publically funded sign-language interpreters. (XDG, p 4A, 6/18/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Aug 10 | Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the second female Supreme Court justice. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 13 | The US Supreme Court rules, 5-4, that people were entitled to a hearing before real property linked to illegal drug sales could be seized. (XDG, p 4A, 12/13/2003) | Ref: 83 |
- 1994
| Jan 24 | The US Supreme Court rules that protesters who block access to abortion clinics or in other ways conspire to stop women from having abortions may be sued under federal anti-racketeering statutes. (XDG, p 4A, 1/24/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Mar 07 | The Supreme Court ruled that parodies that poke fun at an original work can be considered "fair use" that doesn't require permission from the copyright holder. | Ref: 70 |
| Apr 06 | (US Supreme Court Justice) Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun announced his retirement after 24 years. | Ref: 70 |
| Apr 19 | Supreme Court outlaws excluding people from juries because of gender. | Ref: 5 |
| May 07 | The Supreme Court ruled that parodies that poke fun at an original work can be considered "fair use" that doesn't require permission from the copyright holder. | Ref: 6 |
- 1995
| Jun 26 | The US Supreme Court rules that public schools can require drug tests for its athletes. (XDG, p 4A, 6/26/2000) | Ref: 83 |
- 1996
| May 13 | The Supreme Court unanimously struck down Rhode Island's ban on ads that list or refer to liquor prices, saying the law violated free-speech rights. | Ref: 6 |
| May 20 | The Supreme Court struck down a Colorado measure banning laws that protect homosexuals from discrimination. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 13 | The Supreme Court placed greater limits on congressional districts intentionally drawn to get more minorities elected to Congress. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 26 | The Supreme Court ordered the Virginia Military Academy to admit women, or forgo state support. | Ref: 70 |
- 1997
| Jan 08 | The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on whether to allow physician-assisted suicide. | Ref: 64 |
| Mar 19 | Supreme Court hears Internet indecency arguments. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 26 | In a series of decisions, the US Supreme Court ruled (A) that terminally ill Americans had no constitutional right to doctor-assisted suicide, but did nothing to bar states from legalizing the practice; (B) struck down a congressional attempt to keep pornography off the internet; © let stand the president's line-item veto without addressing its constitutionality. (XDG, p 4A, 6/26/2002) | Ref: 83 |
| Jun 27 | The US Supreme court throws out part of the Brady gun control law, saying the federal government could not make local police decide whether people are fit to buy handguns. However, the Court left intact the five-day waiting period for handgun purchases. (XDG, p. 4A, 6/27/2002) | Ref: 83 |
- 1998
| Feb 23 | Supreme Court lets Megan's Law stand. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 25 | The US Supreme Court throws out a 16-year-old government rule that allows company credit unions to accept members from other companies. (XDG, p 4A, 2/25/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Mar 03 | The Supreme Court rules that local lawmakers' votes are immune to lawsuits even if they had been based on illegal or discriminatory motives. (XDG, p 4A, 3/03/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Mar 04 | The Supreme Court ruled that sexual harassment at work can be illegal even when the offender and victim are of the same gender. | Ref: 70 |
| Mar 23 | The Supreme Court ruled that term limits for state lawmakers are constitutional. | Ref: 70 |
| May 26 | The Supreme Court ruled that Ellis Island historic gateway for millions of immigrants - is mainly in New Jersey, not New York. | Ref: 70 |
| May 26 | The Supreme Court made it more difficult for police to be sued by people hurt during high-speed chases. (XDG, p 4A, 5/26/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Jun 15 | The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that state prison inmates are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 25 | The Supreme Court rejected a line-item veto law as unconstitutional, and ruled that those infected with HIV are protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 26 | The Supreme Court issued a landmark sexual harassment ruling, putting employers on notice that they can be held responsible for supervisors' misconduct even if they knew nothing about it. | Ref: 70 |
| Aug 24 | A federal court rejects the Census Bureau's plans to use statistical sampling for the 2000 census, a decision later upheld by the Supreme Court. | |
| Dec 08 | The Supreme Court rules that police cannot search people and their cars after merely ticketing them for routine traffic violations. (XDG, p 4A, 12/08/2003) | Ref: 83 |
- 1999
| Jan 12 | The US Supreme Court limited state regulations of voter initiatives, striking down several methods used by Colorado to police such measures. (XDG, p 4A, 1/12/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Jan 25 | The Supreme Court ruled that the 2000 census could not use statistical sampling to enhance its accuracy. | Ref: 70 |
| Feb 02 | A federal jury in Portland OR orders abortion foes who had created "wanted" posters and a web site listing the names and addresses of "baby butchers" to pay $107M in damages; the defendants promised to appeal. (As of this writing, the case is before the US Supreme Court.) (XDG, p 4A, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Mar 03 | The US Supreme Court rules that public schools had to finance one-on-one nursing care for some disabled students throughout the school day. (XDG, p 4A, 3/03/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Jun 10 | The US Supreme Court rules that the city of Chicago had gone too far in its fight against street gangs by ordering police to break up groups of loiterers. (XDG, p 4A, 6/10/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Jun 14 | The US Supreme Court opens the door to full broadcast advertising of casino gambling when it rules that a federal band aimed at protecting compulsive gamblers violated free speech rights. (XDG, p 4A, 6/14/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Jun 22 | The US Supreme Court rules that the Americans With Disabilities Act does not extend to people with poor eyesight or other correctable conditions. (XDG, p 4A, 6/22/2000) | Ref: 83 |
- 2000
| Jan 12 | The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, gave police broad authority to stop and question people who run at the sight of an officer. | Ref: 70 |
| Mar 21 | A divided Supreme Court ruled the government lacked authority to regulate tobacco as an addictive drug. | Ref: 70 |
| Mar 27 | The Supreme Court decided the federal government could deny food stamps and other welfare benefits to people who live permanently in the United States but who are not citizens. | Ref: 64 |
| Mar 28 | In a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court sharply curtailed police power to rely on anonymous tips to stop and search people. | Ref: 70 |
| May 15 | By a five-to-four vote, the US Supreme Court threw out a key provision of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act, saying that rape victims could not sue their attackers in federal court. | Ref: 6 |
| May 22 | The Supreme Court struck down, 5-to-4, a federal law that shielded children from sex-oriented cable TV channels. | Ref: 6 |
| Jun 12 | The Supreme Court, in a unanimous ruling, said patients cannot use a federal law to sue HMO's for giving doctors a financial incentive to cut treatment costs. | Ref: 6 |
| Jun 19 | The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, barred officials from letting students lead stadium crowds in prayer before football games. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 26 | The Supreme Court gave new power to its landmark Miranda decision of 1966, ruling police still must warn the people they arrest of their "right to remain silent" when questioned. | Ref: 6 |
| Jun 28 | The Supreme Court ruled the Boy Scouts can bar homosexuals from serving as troop leaders. | Ref: 70 |
- 2001
| Apr 24 | The US Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, rules that people stopped for minor traffic offenses, such as not using seat belts or driving with expired plates, can be subject to a full-scale police arrest including handcuffs, booking and jail. (USA Today, p. 1, 4/25/2001) | Ref: 13 |
| May 14 | The Supreme Court ruled that there is no exception in federal law for people to use marijuana to ease their pain from cancer, AIDS or other illnesses. | Ref: 70 |
| May 29 | The Supreme Court ruled that disabled golfer Casey Martin could use a cart to ride in tournaments. | Ref: 70 |
| Oct 01 | The Supreme Court suspended former President Clinton from practicing before the high court. | Ref: 70 |
- 2002
| Jun 20 | The U.S. Supreme Court declared that executing mentally retarded murderers was unconstitutionally cruel. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 27 | The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that tuition vouchers are constitutional. | Ref: 70 |
- 2003
| Apr 07 | The Supreme Court voted 6-3 to uphold a 50-year-old Virginia law making it a crime to burn a cross as an act of intimidation. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 16 | A divided Supreme Court says that the government can force medications on the mentally ill criminal defendants only in the rarest of circumstances. (XDG, p 4A, 6/16/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Oct 01 | The US Supreme Court agrees to decide whether Austria can be sued in a US court in a case that involves disputed artworks valued at $150M and invokes crimes from the Nazi era. (WSJ, p A6, 10/01/2003) | Ref: 33 |
|
The US Supreme Court Chronology