Some of the Supreme Court rulings have a great impact on the country. Here’s a look at the Top 10 Supreme Court Rulings in US History.

1. Brown v. Board of Education

In 1951, Oliver L. Brown, together with other parents, filed a lawsuit against the City of Topeka’s Board of Education, for the unconstitutional segregation of public schools for black and white students. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, stating that is was unconstitutional to establish separate schools for black and white students.

2. Roe v. Wade

When Norma McCorvey, also known as Jane Roe, found that she was pregnant with her third child, she wanted to go for an abortion but Texas state law would not allow it. On the landmark case, the Supreme Court ruled that a woman’s right to go for an abortion is her constitutional right to privacy.

3. Miranda v. Arizona

In 1966, the Supreme Court established that a criminal suspect should have the privilege against self-incrimination, according to the Fifth Amendment. After the decision, all law enforcement officers are required to read the Miranda rights which include “right to remain silent” and right to an attorney”.

4. Marbury v. Madison

The Supreme Court ruling in 1803 established the implementation of judicial review in the US. When Chief Justice John Marshall announced that “Section 13 of the Judiciary Act… was unconstitutional and thus invalid”, he put in motion the “checks and balances” of the US Government.

5. United States v. Nixon

President Richard Nixon was asked to surrender secret recordings of telephone calls and conversations by Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski in connection with the Watergate Scandal. Nixon refused to hand over the tapes, citing his executive privilege to share information from other branches of the government. The Supreme Court ruled against Nixon, setting the precedent to limit any US president’s power.

6. Loving v. Virginia

In 1959, Richard and Mildred Loving, a married black-and-white couple, were prosecuted in their home state of Virginia for violating antimiscegenation laws, which outlawed interracial marriages. In 1967, these laws were pronounced unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, making interracial marriages legal in all the states.

7. District of Columbia v. Heller

When District of Columbia special police officer Dick Heller’s application to register a handgun was rejected, he filed a lawsuit against the District of Columbia for violation of his Second Amendment rights. In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled that an individual’s right to possess and use a firearm for traditional lawful purposes was in accordance to the Second Amendment.

8. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

In 2008, the US District Court for the District of Columbia had prevented Citizens United from airing Hillary: The Movie on TV within 30 days of the Democratic primaries in the same year. In 2010, the US Supreme Court ruled that government should be prohibited from setting limits on politically motivated independent spending by unions and corporations, according to the First Amendment.

9. Plessy v. Ferguson

This 1896 landmark Supreme Court ruling upheld the “separate but equal” doctrine pertaining to Jim Crow laws in private businesses. It’s repudiated in the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

10. Korematsu v. United States

Japanese-American Fred Korematsu filed a lawsuit against the US government, claiming that Executive Order 9066 was unconstitutional. In the 1944 landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled that it’s far more important to safeguard against espionage than to safeguard the rights of Japanese-Americans.

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