The decisions that
shaped your rights.
Landmark cases, each broken down the same way: the facts, the question, the ruling, and why it still matters in your life today.
Riley v. California
More landmark cases.
Tinker v. Des Moines
Students wore armbands to protest the Vietnam War. The Court held they don’t “shed their rights at the schoolhouse gate.”
Read the breakdown →New Jersey v. T.L.O.
A student’s purse was searched at school. The Court set the “reasonable suspicion” standard for school searches.
Read the breakdown →Miranda v. Arizona
Where the famous “right to remain silent” warning comes from — and what it actually does and doesn’t cover.
Read the breakdown →Mahanoy Area S.D. v. B.L.
A cheerleader’s off-campus Snapchat post. The Court limited how far schools can reach into student speech online.
Read the breakdown →Carpenter v. United States
Cell-phone location records and the warrant requirement — privacy law catching up to your everyday tech.
Read the breakdown →Brandenburg v. Ohio
The line between protected speech and incitement — the test courts still use for the most heated speech.
Read the breakdown →