Category: Invention Rights (Patents)

Buck v. Bell (1927): Does a mentally feeble person have a right to have children and pass on genetic defects?

Skinner v. Oklahoma ex rel. Williamson (1942): Does a habitual criminal have a right to have children and pass on his criminal inclinations?

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965): Do married couples have the right to use contraceptives to prevent pregnancies?

Eisenstadt v. Baird (1972): Do unmarried individuals have a right to get contraceptives?

Roe v. Wade (1973): Does a woman have a right to end her pregnancy whenever she wants?

Bellotti v. Baird (1979): Does a woman under age 18 have a right to end her pregnancy without parental consent?

Hodgson v. Minnesota (1990): Does a woman under 18 have a right to end her pregnancy without notifying both of her biological parents?

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey (1992): Does a woman have a right to end her pregnancy without government interference before a fetus is viable outside the womb?

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022): Does a woman have a right to end her pregnancy whenever she wants?

Bobbs-Merrill Co. v. Straus (1908): Does a copyright owner have a right to control sale of a book after the initial sale?

Herbert v. Shanley Company (1917): Do authors of music have a right to be paid when restaurants or hotels play music free of charge to their customers?

Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com, LLC (2019): Do authors of original works have a right to sue to protect their original works without registering with the copyright office?

Iancu v. Brunetti (2019): Is there a right to register offensive trademarks that sound like curse words?

Matal v. Tam (2019): Is there a right to register as a trademark a name that insults a racial group or any human?

United States Patent and Trademark Office v. Booking.com (2020): Is there a right for a company to register a trademark for a generic internet domain name?

Arizona v. Maricopa County Medical Society (1982): Do businesses have a right to collude to fix maximum prices charged to customers?

Verizon Communications, Inc. v. Law Offices of Curtis V. Trinko, LLP (2003): Does a business have a right to not help a competitor?

National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston (2021): Do colleges and universities have a right to collude via the NCAA to limit the income of student athletes?

Balzac v. Porto Rico (1922): Does a criminal defendant in a United States territory like Puerto Rico have a right to a jury trial?

Betts v. Brady (1942): Does a poor criminal defendant have a right to a defense attorney paid for by the government?

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963): Does a poor criminal defendant have a right to a defense attorney paid for by the government?

Miranda v. Arizona (1966): Does a criminal defendant have a right to be told about the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney before being interrogated in custody?

Faretta v. California (1975): Does a criminal defendant have a right to refuse defense counsel paid for by the government, and to represent him or herself?

Taylor v. Louisiana (1975): Does a male criminal defendant have a right to have women included on the jury deciding the case?

Woodson v. North Carolina (1976): Does a criminal convicted of first degree murder have a right to not be mandatorily sentenced to death?

Coker v. Georgia (1977): Does a criminal convicted of rape have a right to not be sentenced to death?

Beck v. Alabama (1980): Does a criminal convicted of murder have a right to avoid a sentence of death, if the jury was not permitted to consider a penalty less than death?

Ford v. Wainwright (1986): Does a criminal convicted of murder and sentenced to death have a right to avoid execution if he becomes insane after sentencing?

Nix v. Whiteside (1986): Does a criminal defendant have a right for their attorney to help them lie at trial?

Coy v. Iowa (1988): Does a criminal defendant have a right to see a witness who is present in court?

Atkins v. Virginia (2002): Does a mentally retarded criminal convicted of murder have a right to not be sentenced to death?

Roper v. Simmons (2005): Does a minor convicted of murder have a right to not be sentenced to death?

Oregon v. Guzek (2006): Does a criminal convicted of murder have a right to introduce new evidence not presented at trial?

United States v. Gonzalez-Lopez (2006): Is a criminal defendant only entitled to a competent counsel, or to the specific counsel desired?

Graham v. Florida (2010): Does a minor convicted of a crime less than murder have a right to be sentenced with the possibility of parole?

Miller v. Alabama (2012): Does a minor convicted of murder have a right to not be mandatorily sentenced to death?

Madison v. Alabama (2019): Does a criminal whose dementia makes him have no memory of committing the murder for which he was convicted have a right to not be executed?

Ramos v. Louisiana (2020): Ramos v. Louisiana (2020): Does a criminal defendant have a right to be convicted only by a unanimous jury?

Jones v. Mississippi (2021): Does a minor convicted of murder have a right to be found permanently incorrigible before being sentenced to life without parole?

Chiaverini v. City of Napoleon (2024): Does a criminal defendant have a right that each of several criminal charges be individually based on probable cause?

City of Grants Pass v. Johnson (2024): Does a homeless person have a right to camp on public property without being prosecuted?

Lochner v. New York (1905): Does a worker have a right to contract labor for as many hours as the worker wishes?

Muller v. Oregon (1908): Does a female worker have a right to contract her labor for as many hours as she wishes?

Adkins v. Children’s Hospital (1923): Does a female worker have a right to contract her labor for any price and for as many hours as she wishes?

West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish (1937): Does a woman or any other person have a right to charge for labor a price that is below the minimum wage?

Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp. (1971): Does a woman with young children have a right to require an employer to treat her the same as a man with young children?

Ontario v. Quon (2010): Does an employee have a right to prevent an employer from seeing private communication on a device issued by the employer?

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954): Does a non-white student have a right to attend a school that was intended only for white students?

Loving v. Virginia (1967): Do couples of different races have a right to be married the same as couples of the same race have a right to be married?

Frontiero v. Richardson (1973): Does a male spouse of a female military member have a right to be considered a dependent of his wife the same as a female spouse of a male military member is considered a dependent of her husband?

San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez (1973): Does a student in a poor school district have a right to receive the same quality of education as a student in a rich school district?

Michael M. v. Sonoma County Superior Court (1981): Does a minor male who has sex with a minor female have a right to be charged the same as a minor female who has sex with a minor male?

United States v. Virginia (1996): Does a woman have a right to attend a traditionally all-male military academy?

Vacco v. Quill (1997): Does a terminally ill patient have a right to get help from a doctor to end his/her life, just as any patient has the right to die by refusing food or life saving medicine?

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015): Does a same sex couple have a right to be treated the same as an opposite sex couple regarding a marriage license and marriage recognition in other states?

Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (2023): Does a student of one race have a right to be treated the same as a student from another race when applying to college?

Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969): Does a student have a right to protest government policy at school?

Morse v. Frederick (2007): Does a student have a right to promote illegal drug use while at school?

Citizens United v. FEC (2010): Do corporations have a right to express political opinions?

Snyder v. Phelps (2011): Is there a right to protest at a funeral with signs displaying messages that are offensive and upsetting?

United States v. Alvarez (2012): Is there a right to falsely claim that you have won a military medal?

Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015): Does a church have a right to post a temporary sign directing people to its location without getting permission from the government?

Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (2018): Does a worker have a right to refuse to pay fees to a union that represents all workers, but that the worker did not join, because the worker opposed many of the union’s positions?

Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018): Does a religious baker who opposes same-sex marriage have a right to refuse to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding?

Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky (2018): Does a voter have a right to wear a political badge, a political button or anything bearing a political message in a polling place on Election Day?

Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. (2021): Does a student have a right to use profanity to criticize a school when the student is away from school?

303 Creative LLC v. Elenis (2023): Does a religious website designer who opposes same-sex marriage have a right to refuse to create a website that celebrates the marriage of a same-sex couple?

Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health (1990): Do family members of an incompetent patient have a right to terminate life sustaining treatment for the patient?

Vacco v. Quill (1997): If a patient has a right to refuse food and life sustaining medical treatment, do they also have a right to get physician assistance to end their life?

Washington v. Glucksberg (1997): Does a terminally ill patient have a right to get assistance to end their life, if assisted suicide is prohibited by state law?

Ferguson v. City of Charleston (2001): Does a pregnant woman have a right to refuse being tested for drugs that could harm her unborn child?

Gonzales v. Raich (2005): Does a patient have a right to use a drug allowed by state law, but illegal under federal law?

Gonzales v. Oregon (2006): Does a terminally ill patient have the right to use a drug to end life, if the drug is allowed by state law for assisted suicide, but is regulated by the federal Controlled Substances Act?

Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886): Does a non-citizen who resides in the United States have a right to be treated the same as a citizen with regards to constitutional rights?

Fong Yue Ting v. United States (1893): Does a non-citizen who resides in the United States have a right to remain in the United States despite an order of deportation?

Wong Wing v. United States (1896): Does a non-citizen who resides in the United States have a right to not be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law?

United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898): Do children born in the United States have a right to be citizens even though their parents are non-citizens?

Perez v. Brownell (1958): Does a citizen of the United States have a right to vote in a foreign political election and retain United States citizenship?

Afroyim v. Rusk (1967): Does a citizen of the United States have a right to vote in a foreign political election and retain United States citizenship?

Graham v. Richardson (1971): Does a non-citizen who resides in the United States have a right to welfare benefits given to citizens?

Fedorenko v. United States (1981): Does a naturalized citizen have a right to remain a citizen even though he did not strictly comply with all the requirements to acquire citizenship?

Plyler v. Doe (1982): Does a child who entered the United States illegally have a right to attend public schools?

DeMore v. Kim (2003): Does a non-citizen who is being processed for deportation have a right to be free from detention during deportation proceedings?

Jennings v. Rodriguez (2018): Does a non-citizen who is being processed for deportation have a right to periodic bond hearings during the course of their detention?

Gottschalk v. Benson (1972): Does a person who discovers a novel and useful mathematical formula have a right to patent the formula?

Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. (2013): Does a person who is the first to isolate a DNA sequence have a right to patent the DNA sequence?

Impression Products, Inc. v. Lexmark International, Inc. (2017): Does the owner of a patent retain any patent rights in the sold product?

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857): Does a slave have a right to be free if he is brought into a state that prohibits slavery?

Civil Rights Cases (1883): Do private businesses have a right to discriminate against some customers?

Moore v. City of East Cleveland (1977): Do members of an extended family have a right to live together in violation of a city law?

Chicago v. Morales (1999): Do gang members have a right to loiter in public spaces?

Lawrence v. Texas (2003): Do two people of the same sex have a right to engage in sexual conduct?

Timbs v. Indiana (2019): Does a criminal defendant have a right to prevent the government from seizing property that is greater in value than the dollar fine for a crime?

Department of State v. Munoz (2024): Does a citizen’s fundamental right to marriage include a fudamental liberty interest in a non-citizen spouse being admitted to the United States?

Meyer v. State of Nebraska (1923): Do parents have a right to teach their children a non-English language in violation of state law?

Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925): Do parents have a right to refuse to send their minor children to public schools and to direct the education of their children as they see fit in violation of state law?

Prince v. Massachusetts (1944): Do parents have a right to allow their minor children to work in violation of state law?

Stanley v. Illinois (1972): Does an unmarried father have a right to parent his children in violation of state law?

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972): Do parents have a right to refuse to send their minor children to school until at least age 16 in violation of state law?

Santosky v. Kramer (1982): Do parents have a right to retain custody of their children even if there is a fair preponderance of the evidence that they have permanently neglected their children?

Troxel v. Granville (2000): Do parents have a right to refuse grandparents to visit their grandchildren in violation of state law?

Goldberg v. Kelly (1970): Does a welfare recipient have a right to a hearing before welfare benefits are terminated?

Goss v. Lopez (1975): Do students have a right to a hearing before they are suspended from school?

Mathews v. Eldridge (1976): Does a social security recipient have a right to a hearing before social security benefits are terminated?

Ingraham v. Wright (1977): Do students at school have a right to not be spanked on their bottoms, or have a right to get notice and a hearing before they are spanked on their bottoms?

Kahler v. Kansas (2020): Does a criminal defendant have a right to avoid punishment by showing that his insanity made him unable to know that his crime was morally wrong?

Department of Agriculture Rural Development Rural Housing Service v. Kirtz (2024): Does a citizen have a right to sue a federal agency for reporting inaccurate information to a credit reporting agency?

Shelley v. Kraemer (1948): Does a private property owner have a right to enter into a private agreement to exclude people of a particular race from using or occupying the property?

Jones v. Alfred H. Mayer Company (1968): Does an owner of private property have the right to refuse to sell or rent to people based on race?

Kelo v. City of New London (2005): Does a homeowner have a right to prevent a city from taking their home for economic development by a private organization?

Horne v. Department of Agriculture (2015): Does a person have a right to be compensated for personal property taken by the government?

Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid (2021): Does an employer have a right to exclude union organizers from their property in violation of state law?

Reynolds v. United States (1879): Does an individual have a right to marry more than one person based on religious beliefs in violation of the law?

Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940): Do students have a right to refuse to salute the American flag or say the national pledge during school?

West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette (1943): Do students have a right to refuse to salute the American flag or say the national pledge during school?

Employment Division v. Smith (1990): Does an individual have a right to use drugs for religious purposes in violation of law?

Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe (2000): Do students have a right to initiate and lead prayer over a school’s loudspeakers?

Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores (2014): Do closely held employers have a religious right to be exempted from providing contraception?

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2018): Do parents have a right to use government aid to send their children to religious private schools?

American Legion v. American Humanist Association (2019): Do non-religious people have a right to not be offended by observing a war memorial Christian cross maintained with government funds?

Fulton v. City of Philadelphia (2021): Does a religious foster care organization have a right to refuse to place children with gay couples if it contradicts their religious beliefs?

Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022): Does a school official have a right to pray publicly without being fired?

United States v. Cruikshank (1876): Does the right to keep and bear arms exist separately from the Constitution?

Presser v. Illinois (1886): Do private citizens have a right to associate as private military groups?

United States v. Miller (1939): Does an individual have a right to possess a weapon like a short-barrelled shotgun that is unconnected to a well-regulated militia?

District of Columbia v. Heller (2008): Does an individual have a right to possess a gun in the home for self-defense unconnected with service in a militia?

McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010): Does an individual have a right to carry a gun for self-defense in violation of a city law that bans handgun possession by private citizens?

Caetano v. Massachusetts (2016): Does an individual have a right to carry a stun gun?

New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen (2022): Does an individual have a right to carry a handgun for self-defense without demonstrating a special need to the government?

United States v. Rahimi (2024): Does in individual have a right to possess a firearm, if that individual has been found by a court to pose a credible threat to the safety of another?

Minor v. Happersett (1875): Does a woman have a right to vote?

Guinn & Beal v. United States (1915): Does a citizen have a right to vote even if the citizen is not able to read or write?

Grovey v. Townsend (1935): Does a non-white citizen have a right to vote in the primary of a political party, if the party wants to exclude non-whites?

Breedlove v. Suttles (1937): Does a man have a right to vote without paying a tax as required by state law?

Smith v. Allwright (1944): Does a non-white citizen have a right to vote in the primary of a political party, if the party wants to exclude non-whites?

Reynolds v. Sims (1964): Does a citizen have a right to require that electoral districts have approximately the same population size?

Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966): Does a citizen have a right to vote without paying a tax as required by state law?

Richardson v. Ramirez (1974): Does a convicted felon have a right to vote after completing their sentence and parole?

Buckley v. Valeo (1976): Do individuals have a right to contribute money to political campaigns without any limits?

City of Mobile v. Bolden (1980): Does a minority voter have a right to elect minority representatives?

Citizens United v. FEC (2010): Do corporations have a right to contribute money to political campaigns without any limits?