Significant Oral Arguments of the Supreme Court 1955-1993


The Warren Court | The Burger Court | The Rehnquist Court

In 1996, the Supreme Court Historical Society appointed an Ad Hoc Committee of distinguished legal scholars and Supreme Court practitioners to determine the most significant oral arguments heard by the Supreme Court from 1955 until 1993.  The Committee was asked to pick not only important cases, but also examples of effective appellate advocacy. Ultimately the Committee selected 411 cases; 130 from the Warren Court era, 160 from the Burger Court Era and 121 from the first seven years of the Rehnquist Court.

The Rehnquist Court

485 U.S. 46 (1986) Hustler Magazine v. Falwell
text of opinion


482 U.S. 569 (1987) Board of Airport Com. of Los Angeles v. Jews for Jesus
text of opinion


481 U.S. 537 (1987) Board of Directors of Rotary International v. Rotary Club of Duarte
text of opinion


482 U.S. 496 (1987) Booth v. Maryland
text of opinion


479 U.S. 314 (1987) Brown v. United States, Griffith v. Kentucky
text of opinion


479 U.S. 272 (1987) California Federal Savings & Loan v. Guerra
text of opinion


482 U.S. 578 (1987) Edwards v. Aguillard
text of opinion


482 U.S. 304 (1987) First Lutheran Church v. Los Angeles County
text of opinion


481 U.S. 648 (1987) Gray v. Mississippi
text of opinion


480 U.S. 136 (1987) Hobbie v. Unemployment Appeals Commission of Florida
text of opinion


480 U.S. 340 (1987) Illinois v. Krull
text of opinion


480 U.S. 470 (1987) Keystone Bituminous Coal Assn. v. DeBenedictis
text of opinion


481 U.S. 279 (1987) McCleskey v. Kemp
text of opinion


483 U.S. 825 (1987) Nollan v. California Coastal Commission
text of opinion


481 U.S. 1 (1987) Pennzoil Co. v. Texaco Inc.
text of opinion


481 U.S. 497 (1987) Pope v. Illinois
text of opinion


483 U.S. 378 (1987) Rankin v. McPherson
text of opinion


481 U.S. 615 (1987) Shaare Tefila Congregation v. Cobb
text of opinion


483 U.S. 203 (1987) South Dakota v. Dole
text of opinion


481 U.S. 137 (1987) Tison v. Arizona
text of opinion


480 U.S. 149 (1987) United States v. Paradise
text of opinion


481 U.S. 739 (1987) United States v. Salerno
text of opinion


485 U.S. 312 (1988) Boos v. Barry
text of opinion


487 U.S. 589 (1988) Bowen v. Kendrick
text of opinion


487 U.S. 500 (1988) Boyle v. United Technologies Corp.
text of opinion


487 U.S. 99 (1988) Braswell v. United States
text of opinion


485 U.S. 717 (1988) Business Electronics Corp. v. Sharp Electronics Corp.
text of opinion


486 U.S. 35 (1988) California v. Greenwood
text of opinion


487 U.S. 1012 (1988) Coy v. Iowa
text of opinion


487 U.S. 474 (1988) Frisby v. Schultz
text of opinion


484 U.S. 260 (1988) Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier
text of opinion


487 U.S. 654 (1988) Morrison v. Olson
text of opinion


488 U.S. 179 (1988) National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Tarkanian
text of opinion


487 U.S. 1 (1988) New York State Association Inc. v. New York City
text of opinion


486 U.S. 466 (1988) Shapero v. Kentucky Bar Assn.
text of opinion


487 U.S. 815 (1988) Thompson v. Oklahoma
text of opinion


486 U.S. 592 (1988) Webster v. Doe.
text of opinion


492 U.S. 573 (1989) Allegheny County v. American Civil Liberties Union, Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, Chabad v. American Civil Liberties Union, Pittsburgh v. American Civil Liberties Union
text of opinion


488 U.S. 336 (1989) Allegheny Pittsburg Coal Co. v. Webster County
text of opinion


492 U.S. 257 (1989) Browning-Ferris Industries of Vermont, Inc. v. Kelco Disposal, Inc.
text of opinion


491 U.S. 617 (1989) Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered v. United States
text of opinion


488 U.S. 469 (1989) City of Richmond v. J. A. Croson Co.
text of opinion


489 U.S. 189 (1989) DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services
text of opinion


491 U.S. 524 (1989) Florida Star (The) v. B. J. F.
text of opinion


491 U.S. 110 (1989) Michael H. v. Gerald D.
text of opinion


488 U.S. 361 (1989) Mistretta v. United States
text of opinion


489 U.S. 656 (1989) National Treasury Employees Union v. Von Raab
text of opinion


491 U.S. 1 (1989) Pennsylvania v. Union Gas Co.
text of opinion


492 U.S. 302 (1989) Penry v. Lynaugh
text of opinion


490 U.S. 228 (1989) Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins
text of opinion


492 U.S. 115 Ct. 2829 (1989) Sable Communications v. FCC
text of opinion


489 U.S. 602 (1989) Skinner v. Railway Labor Executives' Association
text of opinion


492 U.S. 361 (1989) Stanford v. Kentucky
text of opinion


489 U.S. 288 (1989) Teague v. Lane
text of opinion


491 U.S. 397 (1989) Texas v. Johnson
text of opinion


490 U.S. 642 (1989) Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio
text of opinion


492 U.S. 490 (1989) Webster v. Reproduction Health Services
text of opinion


497 U.S. 261 (1990) Cruzan v. Director of Missouri Department of Health
text of opinion


494 U.S. 872 (1990) Department of Human Resources of Oregon Employment Division v. Smith
text of opinion


495 U.S. 508 (1990) Grady v. Corbin
text of opinion


497 U.S. 417 (1990) Hodgson v. State of Minnesota
text of opinion


497 U.S. 836 (1990) Maryland v. Craig
text of opinion


110 U.S. 1651 (1990) Missouri v. Jenkins
text of opinion


497 U.S. 547 (1990) Metro Broadcasting v. FCC
text of opinion


496 U.S. 444 (1990) Michigan Department of State Police v. Sitz
text of opinion


497 U.S. 1 (1990) Milkovich v. Lorain Journal Co.
text of opinion


497 U.S. 502 (1990) Ohio v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health
text of opinion


497 U.S. Ct.62 (1990) Rutan v. Republican Party of Illinois
text of opinion


496 U.S. 310 (1990) United States v. Eichman
text of opinion


494 U.S. 259 (1990) United States v. Verdugo-Urquidez
text of opinion


493 U.S. 182 (1990) University of Pennsylvania v. EEOC
text of opinion


499 U.S. 279 (1991) Arizone v. Fulminante
text of opinion


501 U.S. 560 (1991) Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc.
text of opinion


498 U.S. 237 (1991) Board of Education of Oklahoma City v. Dowell
text of opinion


499 U.S. 621 (1991) California v. Hodari D.
text of opinion


500 U.S. 614 (1991) Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Co.
text of opinion


499 U.S. 244 (1991) EEOC v. Arabian American Oil Co.
text of opinion


501 U.S. 429 (1991) Florida v. Bostick
text of opinion


501 U.S. 868 (1991) Freytag v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
text of opinion


501 U.S. 452 (1991) Gregory v. Ashcroft
text of opinion


501 U.S. 957 (1991) Harmelin v. Michigan

text of opinion


501 U.S. 529 (1991) James M. Beam Distilling Co. v. Georgia
text of opinion


499 U.S. 467 (1991) McCleskey v. Zant
text of opinion


499 U.S. 1 (1991) Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Haslip
text of opinion


501 U.S. 808 (1991) Payne v. Tennessee
text of opinion


499 U.S. 400 (1991) Powers v. Ohio
text of opinion


500 U.S. 173 (1991) Rust v. Sullivan
text of opinion


499 U.S. 187 (1991) Automobile Workers v. Johnson Controls, Inc.
text of opinion


501 U.S. 350 (1991) Lampf, Pleva, Lipkind, Prupis & Petigrew v. Gilbertson
text of opinion


505 U.S. 504 (1992) Cippollone v. Liggett Group, Inc.
text of opinion


504 U.S. 451 (1992) Eastman Kodak Co. v. Image Technical Services
text of opinion


504 U.S. 71 (1992) Foucha v. Louisiana
text of opinion


503 U.S. 467 (1992) Freeman v. Pitts
text of opinion


505 U.S. 42 (1992) Georgia v. McCollum
text of opinion


503 U.S. 1 (1992) Hudson v. McMillan
text of opinion

505 U.S. 672 (1992) International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc. v. Lee
text of opinion


505 U.S. 577 (1992) Lee v. Weisman
text of opinion


505 U.S. 1003 (1992) Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council
text of opinion


504 U.S. 555 (1992) Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife
text of opinion


504 U.S. 719 (1992) Morgan v. Illinois
text of opinion


505 U.S. 144 (1992) New York v. United States
text of opinion


93-1503 (1992) Planned Parenthood of Southeast Pennsylvania v. Casey
text of opinion


504 U.S. 298 (1992) Quill Corp. v. North Dakota
text of opinion


505 U.S. 377 (1992) R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul
text of opinion


504 U.S. 655 (1992) United States v. Alvarez-Machain
text of opinion


509 U.S. 544 (1993) Alexander v. United States
text of opinion


509 U.S. 602 (1993) Austin v. United States
text of opinion


506 U.S. 263 (1993) Bray v. Alexandria Womens' Health Clinic
text of opinion


508 U.S. 520 (1993) Church of the Lukami Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah
text of opinion


509 U.S. 579 (1993) Daubert v. Merril Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
text of opinion


507 U.S. 761 (1993) Edenfield v. Fane
text of opinion


509 U.S. 86 (1993) Harper v. Virginia Dept. of Taxation
text of opinion


506 U.S. 390 (1993) Herrera v. Collins
text of opinion


508 U.S. 385 (1993) Lamb's Chapel & J. Steigerwald v. Ctr. Morishes Union Free Sch. Dist.
text of opinion


506 U.S. 224 (1993) Nixon v. United States
text of opinion


509 U.S. 155 (1993) Sale v. Haitian Centers Council Inc.
text of opinion


509 U.S. 630 (1993) Shaw v. Reno
text of opinion


509 U.S. 443 (1993) TXO Production Corp. v. Alliance Resources Corp.
text of opinion


113 U.S. 2849 (1993) United States v. Dixon
text of opinion


508 U.S. 416 (1993) Wisconsin v. Mitchell
text of opinion


509 U.S. 1 (1993) Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills District
text of opinion


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