Landmark Supreme Court Cases That Shaped America

The Constitution says almost nothing about what the Supreme Court can do. The Court built that power case by case — and in doing so settled questions the other branches could not, from who counts as a citizen to what the police must tell you when they make an arrest. Its decisions have ended segregation and entrenched it, expanded liberty and narrowed it, and twice been reversed by later Courts.

This guide collects thirteen of the most consequential rulings, grouped by the questions they answered. Each links to a full account. Read together, they show a Court that is not above the country's arguments but squarely inside them.