# Is there anyone on this board who cannot name two Supreme Court cases? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 29, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770 "2008-09-29T22:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/61 "2008-09-30T04:32:38Z")
_US v. Miller_ _DC v. Heller_ Given my interests, those were gimmes. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/62 "2008-09-30T04:33:42Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > Here’s a quiz: > > Name two cases decided by the United States Supreme Court. No, not in this term. Ever. Any case. Over two centuries. > > No cheating. :smack: This was a dig on Palin this whole time? So, this thread is two pages of whoosh? Well played, sir. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/63 "2008-09-30T04:34:00Z")
[Hiibel case](http://epic.org/privacy/hiibel/) - fairly notorious case for Nevadans, like myself [Wickard v. Filburn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wickard_v._Filburn) - I learned about this one from the good folks here on the SDMB, due my asking questions about [Gonzalez v. Raich](http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/06/06/scotus.medical.marijuana/index.html) I know more, but those I know well just off the top of my head. Plus, since I live close to Mexico now and grew up in South Florida, I’m an expert on both Mexico and Cuba! Sarah Palin’s got nuthin’ on me! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/64 "2008-09-30T04:36:04Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > It had never occurred to me before this instant how absurd that is. Seriously, “Scopes Monkey Trial”? This was the one where some monkey’s breath was so bad that a mouthwash company sued him, right? ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/65 "2008-09-30T05:09:52Z")
Ooh, I just remembered a case I read a while back that nobody will be interested in at all! If you want to read a case that highlights some of the of dry, technical disputes the Court is occasionally tasked with (though a district court judge did most of the actual legwork in this instance), check out Georgia v. South Carolina. [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=497&invol=376](http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=497&invol=376) Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/66 "2008-09-30T05:17:08Z")
Without looking at others’ answers: Brown v. \_\_\_\_\_ Board of Education (I forget where) the Dredd Scott decision Roe v. Wade Marbury v. Madison ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/67 "2008-09-30T05:18:50Z")
Let’s see how many I can get without looking: _Bush v. Gore Marbury v. Madison Brown v. Board of Education Gideon v. Wainwright Miranda v. Arizona Plessy v. Ferguson Roe v. Wade Dred Scott v. Sanford_ And I’m not even an American. But I am a student of history, and American legal history is interesting. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/68 "2008-09-30T05:19:21Z")
Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/69 "2008-09-30T05:20:37Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > My apologies. I should have limited the OP to U.S. adults. Thank you. I was panicking: “I don’t know _any_ Canadian Supreme Court cases, except the “persons” case, and that’s only because it’s featured on the fifty-dollar bill. Paging **Spoons**! Paging **Spoons**!” ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/70 "2008-09-30T05:37:56Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Thank you. I was panicking: “I don’t know _any_ Canadian Supreme Court cases… Paging **Spoons**! Paging **Spoons**!” From the Supreme Court of Canada: _Roncarelli v. Duplessis Reference Re Quebec Secession R. v. Oakes R. v. Brydges Reference Re Anti-Inflation Act R. v. Keegstra_ Well, that should do for a start. I could have included cases like _Oshawa Cable_, _Pronto Uranium_, and _Toronto Electric Commissioners_, but no point in overdoing it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/71 "2008-09-30T05:49:06Z")
Good show, **Spoons**! Of course, I believe you’re a laywer, so it is kind of explainable. I thought of Roe v. Wade and US v. Nixon. Then I thought of Lawrence v. Texas and the Dred Scott case, but I didn’t remember who the other party in this last one was. I’ve heard of a few that were mentioned in this thread, but there are many others (including some that people have said everyone should know about) that I hadn’t ever heard about. Of course, I’m not an American. > [@Sunspace](#): > > Thank you. I was panicking: “I don’t know _any_ Canadian Supreme Court cases, except the “persons” case, and that’s only because it’s featured on the fifty-dollar bill. Paging **Spoons**! Paging **Spoons**!” Furthermore, the “Persons Case” wasn’t even ultimately decided in the Supreme Court, but rather before the Privy Council. Am I able to name a Supreme Court of Canada case? Hmmm, maybe R. v. Latimer, but I’m not sure if it went there. Let us check: [I was right](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._v._Latimer_(1997))! Oh, wait, there’s actually even [another one](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._v._Latimer). > [@Spoons](#): > > Roncarelli v. Duplessis I’ve read about this one recently, and wanted to name it as well, but didn’t remember the name Roncarelli. (Of course I remembered Duplessis!) ---
**Author:** ![GomiBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@GomiBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GomiBoy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/72 "2008-09-30T09:34:09Z")
> [@Santo\_Rugger](#): > > The People vs Larry Flint > 🆒 > > Miller v. California > Hustler Magazine v. Falwell Damn it, you beat me to the punch! I love those most of all. Free speech is, IMO, the paramount right to a free society, and satire is speech. Very very cool. One of my other favourites is (And not looking it up I can’t recall the name) one about a US Air Force officer who was Jewish not being allowed to wear his yarmulke because it was against AF regulation 35-10. He had to sue to the SCOTUS and won and the reg was changed to allow religious expression whilst indoors in uniform, with the only exception allowed for safety (i.e. rings and hats were still not allowed on the flight line regardless of religious affiliation because of safety regs). Also all the others - Plessy v. Ferguson, Dred Scott, Roe v Wade, US v Nixon, Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, Padilla v. US ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/73 "2008-09-30T09:45:25Z")
Aside from the obvious ones (Roe v Wade, Brown v Board, Dredd Scott, Marbury v Madison etc) Moose Lodge No. 107 v. Irvis Muller v Oregon Edit: There’s also a crazy one I can’t recall with a “Barkeep-Drinker” third party standing, it had to do with women being able to drink or be waitresses in bars at lower ages than men. It was somewhat ironic because it kicked off the women civil rights era, even though it was about male discrimination. However the name escapes me. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/74 "2008-09-30T09:51:42Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > Edit: There’s also a crazy one I can’t recall with a “Barkeep-Drinker” third party standing, it had to do with women being able to drink or be waitresses in bars at lower ages than men. It was somewhat ironic because it kicked off the women civil rights era, even though it was about male discrimination. However the name escapes me. Er, to clarify: It kicked off the mass amount of women discrimination CASES. And it wasn’t necessarily ironic if you think about it, sexual discrimination is sexual discrimination, but at first glance it sounds kinda funny. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/75 "2008-09-30T11:22:15Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > Here’s a quiz: > > Name two cases decided by the United States Supreme Court. No, not in this term. Ever. Any case. Over two centuries. > > No cheating. Roe vs. Wade Dred Scott vs. … ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/76 "2008-09-30T12:05:21Z")
Roe V Wade Brown (The segregation in school decision) Miranda V Arizona Bush V Gore I would imagine almost everyone would know Miranda and Roe. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/77 "2008-09-30T12:15:34Z")
“Everyone” meaning Americans BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/78 "2008-09-30T13:09:07Z")
By the way, no love for McCulloch v. Maryland? I had to do a skit on that one in high school. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/79 "2008-09-30T13:33:35Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > None at all. > > I do recognise “Roe vs Wade” as an (or “the”) abortion bill, but had no clue about it being a Supreme Court case, coz I am a damn foreigner. Damn Foreigner = Band Name! ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770/80 "2008-09-30T13:33:37Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > Edit: There’s also a crazy one I can’t recall with a “Barkeep-Drinker” third party standing, it had to do with women being able to drink or be waitresses in bars at lower ages than men. It was somewhat ironic because it kicked off the women civil rights era, even though it was about male discrimination. However the name escapes me. You might be thinking of Craig v. Boren, but the facts are slightly different. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-on-this-board-who-cannot-name-two-supreme-court-cases/465770.md?page=5)