| 1803 | established judicial review, the power of the federal courts to determine if laws are unconstitutional | Marbury v. Madison |
| 1819 | established that the Necessary and Proper Clause of the Constitution gave the federal government "implied powers" | McCulloch v. Maryland |
| 1954 | overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson & ruled that segregation violates the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause | Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka |
| 1973 | legalized abortion nationwide | Roe v. Wade |
