In Massiah v. United States (1964), the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prevents police officers from deliberately eliciting incriminating statements from a suspect after that suspect has invoked the right to counsel.

Missouri v. Seibert (2004) asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether a popular police technique for eliciting confessions violated constitutional protections. The Court ruled that the practice of questioning a suspect to the point of confession, notifying them of their rights, and having them voluntarily waive their rights to confess a second time was unconstitutional.

Mistretta v. United States (1989) asked the Supreme Court to decide whether the United States Sentencing Commission, created by Congress through the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, was constitutional. The court found that the Congress could use practical and specific legislation to form a special commission, dedicated to creating and maintaining federal sentencing guidelines.

In Munn v. Illinois (1877), the U.S. Supreme Court found that the state of Illinois could regulate a private industry in the public interest. The Court's decision drew a distinction between state and federal industry regulation.

Natural law is a theory that says all humans inherit—perhaps through a divine presence—a universal set of moral rules that govern human conduct.

Near v. Minnesota was a groundbreaking case which ensured that prohibitions against prior restraint applied to states as well as the federal government. The Supreme Court used the Fourteenth Amendment to incorporate First Amendment Freedom of Press to the states.

In Nebraska Press Association v. Stuart (1976), the U.S. Supreme Court addressed a conflict between two constitutional rights: freedom of the press and the right to a fair trial. The Court struck down a gag order, finding that pre-trial media coverage does not, on its own, guarantee an unfair trial.

New York Times Company v. United States (1971) pitted First Amendment freedoms against national security interests. The case dealt with whether or not the executive branch of the United States government could request an injunction against the publication of classified material. The Supreme Court found that prior restraint carries a "heavy presumption against constitutional validity."

The Ninth Amendment ensures that you don't lose certain rights just because they're not specifically granted to you or mentioned elsewhere in the U.S. Constitution.

In Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), the United States Supreme Court ruled that marriage is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment, and therefore must be afforded to same-sex couples. The ruling ensured that statewide bans on same-sex marriage could not be held up as constitutional.

Roughly a decade after the United States declared independence, the United States Constitution was created to replace the failing Articles of Confederation. At the end of the American Revolution, the founders had created the Articles of Confederation, which set forth a governmental structure that would allow states to keep their individual powers while still benefiting from being part of a larger entity.

Does Congress have the power to set a minimum voting age? Oregon v. Mitchell (1970) asked the Supreme Court to determine whether three amendments to the Voting Rights Act of 1970 were constitutional. In a 5-4 decision with multiple opinions, justices found that the federal government could set a voting age for federal elections, ban literacy tests, and allow non-state residents to vote in federal elections.

In Padilla v. Kentucky (2010), the Supreme Court examined an attorney’s legal obligation to inform a client that a guilty plea might impact their immigration status. In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court found that, under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, an attorney must advise their client if a plea may result in deportation.

In Payton v. New York (1980), the Supreme Court found that warrantless entry into a private home to make a felony arrest violated the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. New York state statutes could not authorize officers to illegally enter a person's home.

The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution summarizes the Founding Fathers’ intention to create a federal government dedicated to ensuring that “We the People” always live in a safe, peaceful, healthy, well-defended—and most of all—free nation.

Any member of Congress or state legislature can propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Since 1787, more than 10,000 amendments have been proposed. These proposals range from banning the desecration of the American flag to balancing the federal budget to altering the Electoral College.

In both a republic and a democracy, citizens are empowered to participate in a representational political system. They elect people to represent and protect their interests in how the government functions.

In Reynolds v. Sims (1964) the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states must create legislative districts that each have a substantially equal number of voters to comply with the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. It is known as the "one person, one vote" case. Justices struck down three apportionment plans for Alabama that would have given more weight to voters in rural areas than voters in cities.

In Rhode Island v. Innis (1980), the Supreme Court created the "functionally equivalent" standard for determining when police officers are interrogating a suspect. The Court ruled that an interrogation is not limited to direct questioning, but instead covers any actions that can be reasonably understood as coercive.

Romer v. Evans (1996) was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that dealt with sexual orientation and the Colorado State Constitution. The Supreme Court ruled that Colorado could not use a constitutional amendment to abolish laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.