WASHINGTON

Supreme Court of the United States

The 21 most famous Supreme Court decisions

Richard Wolf

USA TODAY

Marbury v. Madison. Plessy v. Ferguson. Roe v. Wade. Bush v. Gore.

And now, Obergefell v. Hodges.

The Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage instantly will enter the pantheon of landmark Supreme Court cases, and for good reason. It settles the major civil rights issue of the early 21st century.

Here's a

look at the court's most famous decisions:

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Marbury v. Madison, 1803 (4-0 decision)

Established the Supreme Court's power of judicial review over Congress.

McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819 (7-0 decision)

Established the federal government's implied powers over the states.

Dred Scott v. Sandford, 1857 (7-2 decision)

Denied citizenship to African American slaves.

The photograph taken in the 1800s of slave Dred Scott was found in the historic courthouse in Thebes, Ill. Scott's legal fight for freedom became a landmark U.S. court ruling.

Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896 (7-1 decision)

Upheld "separate but equal" segregation laws in states.

Korematsu v. United States, 1944 (6-3 decision)

Upheld internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

Brown v. Board of Education, 1954 (9-0 decision)

Separating black and white students in public schools is unconstitutional.

Linda Smith, the former Linda Brown, stands in front of the Sumner School in Topeka, Kan., on May 8, 1964. The refusal of the public school to admit Brown in 1951, then age 9, because she is black led to the Brown v. Board of Education court case.

Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963 (9-0 decision)

Criminal defendants have a right to an attorney even if they cannot afford one.

New York Times v. Sullivan, 1964 (9-0 decision)

Lawsuits based on libel or defamation must show intent or recklessness.

Miranda v. Arizona, 1966 (5-4 decision)

Prisoners must be advised of their rights before being questioned by police.

Loving v. Virginia, 1967 (9-0 decision)

Invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage.

Roe v. Wade, 1973 (7-2 decision)

Women have a constitutional right to an abortion during the first two trimesters.

Anti-abortion and pro-choice demonstrators argue in front of the Supreme Court during the March for Life on Jan. 24, 2011, an annual event marking the anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

United States v. Nixon, 1974 (8-0 decision)

President cannot use executive privilege to withhold evidence from criminal trial.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 1978 (5-4 decision)

Upheld use of race as one of many factors in college admissions.

Bush v. Gore, 2000 (5-4 decision)

No recount of the 2000 presidential election was feasible in a reasonable time period.

Hundreds of protesters demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court prior to arguments before the court by lawyers for Al Gore and George Bush on Dec. 11, 2000.

Lawrence v. Texas, 2003 (6-3 decision)

Struck down state laws that prohibited sodomy between consenting adults.

District of Columbia v. Heller, 2008 (5-4 decision)

Citizens have a right to possess firearms at home for self-defense.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 2010 (5-4 decision)

Corporations and unions can spend unlimited amounts in elections.

National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, 2012 (5-4 decision)

Upheld the mandate that most Americans have health insurance.

Shelby County v. Holder, 2013 (5-4 decision)

States and localities do not need federal approval to change voting laws.

Ryan P. Haygood, director of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, talks outside the Supreme Court in on June 25, 2013, about the Shelby County v. Holder voting rights case.

United States v. Windsor, 2013 (5-4 decision)

Federal government must provide benefits to legally married same-sex couples.

Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015 (5-4 decision)

Same-sex marriage is legalized across all 50 states.

Same-sex marriage supporters rejoice after the U.S Supreme Court hands down its ruling on same-sex marriage on June 26, 2015.

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