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Constitutional Foundations

How our system of government was built

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1803

Marbury v. Madison

Created judicial review — courts can strike down unconstitutional laws

1819

McCulloch v. Maryland

Federal law is supreme over state law; implied powers established

1824

Gibbons v. Ogden

Federal government can regulate interstate commerce

1816

Martin v. Hunter's Lessee

Supreme Court can review state court decisions on federal questions

1810

Fletcher v. Peck

First time Supreme Court struck down a state law

1819

Dartmouth College v. Woodward

Contracts are protected from state interference

1821

Cohens v. Virginia

Federal courts can review state criminal convictions

1793

Chisholm v. Georgia

Led to the 11th Amendment on state sovereign immunity

1798

Calder v. Bull

Defined ex post facto laws and limits on retroactive legislation

1796

Hylton v. United States

First case examining federal taxing power

More Foundational Cases from the Database

Results from 486,000+ Supreme Court cases in the TheSource database.