Each term, the Supreme Court gets between 7,000 and 8,000 cases filed. The justices, however, do not take all of these cases with them. Among them, about 80 will be granted a plenary view. You can expect that these will include a review with some oral arguments made by the attorneys. Despite these limited case numbers, you should know that there are some that affect the nation and stand out the most. For the past years, you can say that the Supreme Court has not always made the right decisions. Even so, there have been some significant changes in the history thanks to these wrong decisions. If you want to learn more about these Supreme Court cases that have taken the nation by storm, view here for more info.

Obergefell v. Hodges – 2015 (5-4 decision): One of the most recent Supreme Court cases to date is the ruling that couples who are of the same sex should be given the fundamental right to marriage. This is granted under both the Equal Protection Clause and the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment. A lot of same-sex couples in different states sued for their right to get married in their own states. For most state courts, the plaintiffs were ruled in favor while this is not the case with the US Court of Appeals. Under the 14th Amendment, the Supreme Court has decided to protect the citizens and same-sex couples who want to marry. You can click here for more information about this case.

Dred Scott v. Sandford – 1857 (7-2 decision): This is probably one of the more unfavorable rulings in the history of the Supreme Court. With his master, the slave, Dred Scott, moved to a free state. He wanted to get his freedom with the once free, always free state law. The Supreme Court decided not to grant him his citizenship, which has then sparked a civil war in the United States. This decision was later on overturned under the 13th Amendment. You can view here for more facts about this case.

Roe v. Wade – 1973 (7-2 decision): A woman named Norma McCorvey wanted to get an abortion in Texas but the state law does not allow it. The Supreme Court has struck this ruling because it restricted the right to choose among women. The Supreme Court has eventually decided to put a balance between the right of liberty and the right to protect the life of the citizens by their government. This was made possible by letting states place limits on this service or the process of abortions at late term. This is most probably one of the most controversial rulings the Supreme Court has made. As you can see, laws associated with abortion are still a top of debate and discussion on a state and a national level.