landmark decisions
History-changing court outcomes
Landmark decisions are court rulings, especially from appellate or supreme courts, that establish significant new legal principles or dramatically alter existing law.
These decisions become reference points for future cases and often shape society beyond the courtroom—think of rulings on civil rights, privacy, or governmental power.
The term borrows from the surveying sense of landmark as a fixed point of reference.
Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark decision that ended legal segregation in American schools.
- Brown v. BoardDesegregation Supreme Court decision
- precedentPrior authoritative example
- case lawJudge-made legal doctrine
- court rulingJudicial decision on case
- majority opinionPosition most hold
judicial review · judicial activism · Supreme Court · Roe v. Wade · separate but equal · Marbury v. Madison · dissenting opinion · executive order · Miranda rights · legal precedent · parliamentary vote · electoral reform · legislation · desegregation · equal protection · civil rights · civil liberties · due process
- constitutional lawConstitution, Bill of Rights, First Amendment, Second Amendment, Fourth Amendment
- case lawcourt opinions, court cases, binding precedent, court ruling, legal judgments
- Court JurisprudenceSupreme Court rulings, court opinions, majority opinions, dissenting opinions, concurring opinions
- Institutional Historymission statements, bylaws, archives, annual reports, board minutes