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Here you’ll find interesting bits of history from all periods and countries that occurred on a particular day.
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May 17th 1954: Brown v. Board of Education
On this day in 1954, the US Supreme Court handed down its unanimous decision in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. The decision declared segregation on grounds of race in schools unconstitutional. The ruling overturned the 1896 decision Plessy v. Ferguson which allowed segregation under the doctrine ‘separate but equal’. The case had been bought by African-American parents, including Oliver L. Brown, against Topeka’s educational segregation. It was argued before the Court by the chief legal counsel of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP): Thurgood Marshall, who became the first African-American Supreme Court justice in 1967. The Court, led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, declared that segregation violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The landmark decision is considered the start of the Civil Rights Movement which led to racial integration and full legal rights for African-Americans.
“We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal”
- Warren’s opinion for the Court
January 22nd 1973: Roe v. Wade
On this day in 1973, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that women have the right to an abortion, thus legalising abortion in the US. The Court ruled 7-2 that a right to privacy under the 14th Amendment covers a woman’s right to an abortion. The decision is still controversial today, and many still debate whether abortion should be allowed. The same day as Roe v. Wade was decided, the former President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson died.
September 24th 1789: Judiciary Act passed
On this day in 1789, the United States Congress passed the Judiciary Act which established the federal judiciary. The act created the “supreme court” specified by the Constitution and set out its composition and procedures.
June 23rd 1969: Burger becomes Chief Justice
On this day in 1969, Warren Earl Burger was sworn in as 15th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court by the retiring Chief Earl Warren. Warren’s tenure had seen the Court take a far more active role in American society, especially with its landmark rulings on race (in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954) and establishing ‘Miranda rights’ of arrested persons to be read their 5th Amendment right to remain silent in Miranda v. Arizona (1966). Burger was more conservative than Warren, but his Court still delivered significant decisions such as invalidating the contemporary methods of death penalty in Furman v. Georgia (1972), declaring the right to an abortion in Roe v. Wade (1973) and forcing President Nixon to hand over the Watergate tapes in United States v. Nixon (1974). Burger retired in September 1986 and was succeeded by William Rehnquist. He died in 1995 aged 87.
February 1st 1790: The United States Supreme Court meets for the first time
On this day in 1790 the highest court in the US, the Supreme Court, met for the first time at the Merchants’ Exchange Building in New York City. The Court is the only one specifically established in the Constitution (in Article III), and was implemented in 1789 with the Judiciary Act. The location of the court moved a number of times, finally gaining its own building in 1935. The Court consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The first Chief Justice was John Jay. The original role of the Supreme Court was jurisdiction over “all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution” (Article III, Section II). The 1803 landmark case Marbury v. Madison formed the basis for the Supreme Court’s exercise of judicial review, when they can invalidate laws by declaring them ‘unconstitutional’.
March 8th 1841: Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. born
On this day in 1841, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He went on to fight in the American Civil War. Holmes was appointed to the Supreme Court by Theodore Roosevelt in 1902 and served for 30 years during which time he became well known for his philosophy of judicial restraint and his eloquent opinions. He retired aged 90, and died aged 93 in 1935. Holmes is considered one of the best justices in American history and is still widely cited today.
On this day in 2000, the United States Supreme Court released its decision in the landmark case of Bush v. Gore. The 2000 Presidential election between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore was one of the closest in recent memory. Who would win the election by reaching 270 electoral votes came down to the state of Florida, which was incredibly tight between the two. It appeared that Bush had won, but disputes meant the state ordered a recount. The Supreme Court however, ruled this recount unconstitutional and thus handed the presidency to Bush, despite Gore leading in the popular vote. The incident remains controversial, with people citing it as a reason to abolish the Electoral College and as evidence of the partisan nature of the Supreme Court, as the justices were split 5-4 between the conservatives and liberals.
July 22nd 1937: Congress kills FDR’s ‘Court-packing’ plan
On this day in 1937, the United States Senate voted down President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s plan to add more justices to the Supreme Court. The Court, under Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes, had repeatedly struck down key elements of the President’s ‘New Deal’ programme to end the Great Depression. FDR threatened to increase the number of justices on the Court by adding 6 associate justices to assist the elder justices. Thus, the President would have been able to ‘pack’ the Court with his supporters and get his legislation upheld. Congress struck down these provisions of the Judicial Procedures Reform Bill. However, the Court responded to the President’s threat and did begin to vote more favourably on New Deal legislation.
May 17th 1954: Brown v. Board of Education decision
On this day in 1954, the US Supreme Court handed down its unanimous decision in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. The decision declared segregation on grounds of race in schools unconstitutional. The ruling overturned the 1896 decision Plessy v. Ferguson which allowed segregation under the doctrine ‘separate but equal’. The case had been bought by African-American parents, including Oliver L. Brown, against Topeka’s educational segregation. It was argued before the Court by the chief legal counsel of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP): Thurgood Marshall, who became the first African-American Supreme Court justice in 1967. The Court, led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, declared that segregation violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The landmark decision is considered the start of the Civil Rights Movement which led to racial integration and full legal rights for African-Americans.
“We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal”
- Warren’s opinion for the Court
