Civil Rights & Equal Protection
The long road to equality under law
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Infamous decision denying citizenship to Black Americans
1873Slaughter-House Cases
Narrowly interpreted 14th Amendment Privileges or Immunities
1883Civil Rights Cases
14th Amendment doesn't apply to private discrimination
1896Plessy v. Ferguson
"Separate but equal" upheld racial segregation
1925Gitlow v. New York
First Amendment applies to states via 14th Amendment
1954Brown v. Board of Education
Separate is not equal — segregation unconstitutional
1958Cooper v. Aaron
States must follow Supreme Court rulings
1967Loving v. Virginia
Bans on interracial marriage are unconstitutional
1973Roe v. Wade
Created constitutional right to abortion (overruled 2022)
1978Regents v. Bakke
Race can be a factor in admissions, but not quotas
1992Planned Parenthood v. Casey
Reaffirmed Roe with "undue burden" standard
2003Lawrence v. Texas
State sodomy laws violate due process
2008DC v. Heller
Second Amendment protects individual right to bear arms
2010McDonald v. Chicago
Second Amendment applies to states
2013Shelby County v. Holder
Struck down Voting Rights Act preclearance formula
2015Obergefell v. Hodges
Same-sex marriage is a constitutional right
2022Dobbs v. Jackson
Overturned Roe v. Wade — no constitutional right to abortion
2023Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard
Race-based college admissions violate Equal Protection