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Established the principle of judicial review in U.S. law, confirming the legal principle that the Supreme Court has the final say in interpreting the Constitution.

Confirmed the supremacy of the U.S. Constitution and federal laws over state laws. Upheld the doctrine of implied powers of the federal government.

Declared that enslaved individuals were not citizens of the United States and could not sue in federal courts, and invalidated the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

Upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. Overturned 'separate but equal'.

Established that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment, which protects against 'unreasonable searches and seizures,' is inadmissible in state courts.

Held that the right to legal counsel is a fundamental right applicable to both federal and state courts under the Sixth Amendment.

Established the principle that detained criminal suspects must be informed of their rights to an attorney and against self-incrimination before police questioning, leading to the 'Miranda warning'.

Recognized the constitutional right of women to have an abortion without excessive government restriction, deriving from the right to privacy.

Limited the power of the U.S. president to claim executive privilege in avoiding the disclosure of evidence in a trial.

Upheld affirmative action, allowing race to be one of several factors in college admission policy. However, it struck down the use of racial quotas.

Held that the Fourth Amendment's prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures is applicable to public school officials, but they can conduct reasonable warrantless searches of students under certain conditions.

Invalidated prohibitions on desecrating the American flag enforced in 48 of the 50 states, holding that flag burning is a form of symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment.

Resolved the dispute in the 2000 presidential election by stopping the Florida presidential recount, effectively awarding the state's votes and the presidency to George W. Bush.

Struck down the sodomy law in Texas by making same-sex sexual activity legal in every U.S. state and territory, affirming the right to privacy.

Held that individuals have a right to possess firearms unconnected with service in a militia for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.

Held that the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for political campaigns by corporations, associations, and labor unions.

Legalized same-sex marriage across the United States, requiring all states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and to recognize same-sex marriages validly performed in other jurisdictions.

Struck down parts of a Texas abortion law that imposed restrictions on how abortion clinics could operate, reaffirming the principle set in Roe v. Wade that states cannot place an 'undue burden' on a woman seeking an abortion.

Invalidated key parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, ruling that the coverage formula used to determine which areas were subject to oversight was outdated and unconstitutional.

Struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), thus enabling legally married same-sex couples to receive federal benefits.

Upheld the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including its individual mandate provision requiring all Americans to have health insurance, based on Congress's taxing power.

Upheld the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II as a wartime necessity.

Upheld the affirmative action admissions policy of the University of Michigan Law School, endorsing the consideration of race as a factor in school admissions.

Struck down the undergraduate affirmative action admissions policy of the University of Michigan, ruling that a points-based system that automatically allocated points to underrepresented minorities was unconstitutional.

Established that individual states did not have the power to enforce laws within lands belonging to Native American tribes, affirming the federal government's exclusive jurisdiction.

Held that power to regulate interstate navigation was granted to Congress by the Commerce Clause of the Constitution.

Ruled that it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools.