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.
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) Arizona 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