History of the Supreme Court

Trace the development of the Supreme Court from a body having little power to its current status as the most powerful and prestigious judicial institution in the world.

• By This Professor
• 01: Personality and Principle
• 02: Shaping the Constitution and the Court
• 03: Ratification and the Bill of Rights
• 04: John Marshall Takes Control
• 05: Impeachment, Contract, and Federal Power
• 06: Roger Taney Takes Control
• 07: "A Small Pleasant-Looking Negro"
• 08: The Civil War Amendments
• 09: "Separate but Equal"
• 10: Two Justices from Boston
• 11: The Laissez-Faire Court
• 12: "Clear and Present Danger"
• 13: The Taft Court and the Twenties
• 14: Wins and Losses for New Deal Laws
• 15: "Court Packing" and Constitutional Revolution
• 16: The New Dealers Take Control
• 17: "Beyond the Reach of Majorities"
• 18: Pearl Harbor and Panic
• 19: The Supreme Court and the Communist Party
• 20: Thurgood Marshall-Lawyer and Justice
• 21: Five Jim Crow Schools and Five Cases
• 22: The Hearts and Minds of Black Children
• 23: "War Against the Constitution"
• 24: Earl Warren-Politician to Chief Justice
• 25: "We Beg Thy Blessings"
• 26: "You Have the Right to Remain Silent"
• 27: The Warren Court Reshapes the Constitution
• 28: Earl Warren Leaves, Warren Burger Arrives
• 29: "A Right to Privacy"
• 30: From Abortion to Watergate
• 31: The Court Faces Affirmative Action
• 32: Down from the Pedestal, Out of the Closet
• 33: Burning Flags and Burning Crosses
• 34: Prayer and Abortion Return to the Court
• 35: One Vote Decides Two Crucial Cases
• 36: Looking Back and Looking Ahead