1803
Marbury v. Madison — Judicial Review Established
Chief Justice John Marshall establishes the Supreme Court's power to strike down unconstitutional laws — the foundation of American constitutional law.
1865
13th Amendment — Abolition of Slavery
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude throughout the United States, except as punishment for crime.
1868
14th Amendment — Equal Protection and Due Process
Guaranteed citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., including formerly enslaved people, and established equal protection and due process requirements — the foundation for most civil rights law.
1870
15th Amendment — Black Male Voting Rights
Prohibited denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude — though states continued to disenfranchise Black voters through poll taxes, literacy tests, and violence for nearly a century.
1896
Plessy v. Ferguson — "Separate But Equal" Established
Supreme Court upholds racial segregation, creating the "separate but equal" doctrine that legalized Jim Crow laws for 58 years.
1920
19th Amendment — Women's Suffrage
Granted women the right to vote after decades of advocacy by suffragists including Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth.
1938
Fair Labor Standards Act — Minimum Wage & Overtime
Establishes federal minimum wage ($0.25/hour), 40-hour workweek, overtime requirements, and prohibitions on child labor in industries affecting interstate commerce.
1944
Korematsu v. United States — Japanese Internment Upheld (Later Discredited)
Supreme Court upholds the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans in a decision widely regarded as one of the worst in Court history — formally discredited in 2018.
1954
Brown v. Board of Education — School Segregation Unconstitutional
Unanimous Supreme Court ruling ends legal school segregation and overturns Plessy v. Ferguson's "separate but equal" doctrine — catalyst for the modern civil rights movement.
1963
Gideon v. Wainwright — Right to Counsel
Unanimous ruling requiring states to provide attorneys to criminal defendants who cannot afford them — creating the public defender system.
1964
Civil Rights Act — Discrimination Prohibited
Landmark legislation prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in employment and public accommodations.
1965
Voting Rights Act — Voting Discrimination Prohibited
Establishes federal protections against discriminatory voting practices and creates the preclearance requirement for states with histories of voting discrimination.
1965
Medicare & Medicaid Created
Landmark legislation creates the nation's two largest public health insurance programs, transforming healthcare access for elderly, disabled, and low-income Americans.
1965
Griswold v. Connecticut — Right to Privacy
Supreme Court strikes down Connecticut's contraception ban, establishing an implied constitutional right to privacy that becomes the foundation for Roe v. Wade and other privacy rights decisions.
1966
Miranda v. Arizona — Miranda Rights
Requires police to inform suspects of their right to remain silent and right to counsel before custodial interrogation — creating the "Miranda warning" read at every arrest.
1969
Tinker v. Des Moines — Student Free Speech
Establishes that students retain First Amendment rights in school, ruling that schools cannot restrict student expression without showing substantial disruption.
1971
Pentagon Papers — Press Freedom Upheld
Supreme Court rules the Nixon administration cannot block publication of classified Vietnam War documents, establishing a high bar against government prior restraint of the press.
1972
Title IX — Education Sex Discrimination Prohibited
Federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded education programs — transforming women's athletic participation and educational opportunity.
1973
Roe v. Wade — Abortion Rights Established
Supreme Court rules women have a constitutional right to abortion under the 14th Amendment's privacy protections — a ruling that stood until Dobbs v. Jackson (2022).
1990
Americans with Disabilities Act
Comprehensive civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, and government services.
1993
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Requires employers with 50+ employees to provide 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for qualifying family and medical reasons — critical protection for healthcare workers and patients.
1996
HIPAA — Health Privacy Law
Establishes federal protections for personal health information — the foundation of patient privacy rights and healthcare compliance requirements for all healthcare workers.
2003
Lawrence v. Texas — Sodomy Laws Struck Down
Supreme Court strikes down state sodomy laws criminalizing consensual same-sex conduct, recognizing that gay persons have a liberty interest in their intimate relationships.
2010
Affordable Care Act — Healthcare Reform
Comprehensive healthcare legislation expanding insurance coverage to millions, prohibiting pre-existing condition discrimination, and expanding Medicaid.
2013
Shelby County v. Holder — VRA Preclearance Gutted
Supreme Court strikes down the VRA's preclearance formula, significantly weakening federal voting rights enforcement — immediately followed by a wave of restrictive voting laws.
2015
Obergefell v. Hodges — Same-Sex Marriage Legal Nationwide
Supreme Court rules the fundamental right to marry applies to same-sex couples under the 14th Amendment — legalizing marriage equality in all 50 states.
2018
First Step Act — Criminal Justice Reform
Bipartisan legislation reducing mandatory minimum sentences, expanding earned time credits, and improving prison conditions — the most significant federal criminal justice reform in a generation.
2020
Bostock v. Clayton County — LGBTQ+ Employment Protections
Supreme Court rules Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity — extending federal civil rights protections to LGBTQ+ workers.
2022
Dobbs v. Jackson — Roe v. Wade Overturned
Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, ruling there is no constitutional right to abortion and returning the issue to state legislatures — the most consequential Supreme Court decision in decades.
2025
Laken Riley Act — First Law of Trump's Second Term
First bill signed by President Trump in his second term, requiring ICE to detain undocumented immigrants charged with theft, burglary, or violent crimes.
2026
119th Congress — Major Legislation Under Debate
Congress debates the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (tax, Medicaid, defense), Voting Rights Advancement Act, Student Loan Fairness Act, and Nursing Workforce Development Act.
