Plain-English, source-linked legal guides
General US legal information with practical research checklists and links to primary sources. Not personal legal advice.
Endrew F. v. Douglas County: What Schools Owe Students With Disabilities
Endrew F. clarified that special-education programs must be reasonably calculated to let a child make appropriate progress.
Young v. UPS: Pregnancy Discrimination and the Meaning of Accommodation
Young v. UPS explains how pregnancy accommodation claims compare pregnant workers with others similar in ability or inability to work.
Burlington Northern v. White: What Counts as Retaliation at Work?
Burlington Northern v. White explains why retaliation law protects workers from more than firing or demotion.
Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson: How Sexual Harassment Became Workplace Discrimination
Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson recognized hostile-environment sexual harassment as a form of workplace discrimination under Title VII.
Caperton v. A.T. Massey: When a Judge Should Step Aside
Caperton v. A.T. Massey asks when campaign support creates a constitutionally intolerable risk of judicial bias.
Mapp v. Ohio: What Happens When Police Use Illegally Seized Evidence
Mapp v. Ohio applied the exclusionary rule to the states and made Fourth Amendment violations matter in criminal trials.
Gideon v. Wainwright: Why Poor Defendants Have a Right to Counsel
Gideon v. Wainwright transformed criminal defense by requiring states to provide lawyers for indigent felony defendants.
Miranda v. Arizona: Why Silence Became a Constitutional Right
Miranda v. Arizona explains why police must warn suspects about silence and counsel before custodial interrogation.
Obergefell v. Hodges: Marriage Equality and the Court's Hardest Line-Drawing
Obergefell v. Hodges recognized a constitutional right to same-sex marriage and remains a major debate over liberty, equality, history, and judicial power.
United States v. Windsor: How One Estate Tax Bill Changed Same-Sex Marriage Law
United States v. Windsor began as an estate-tax dispute and became a major constitutional ruling on federal recognition of same-sex marriages.
Loving v. Virginia: The Case That Changed Marriage Rights
Loving v. Virginia invalidated bans on interracial marriage and remains a foundational case on equality, liberty, and state control over family life.
Wedding Cakes, Religion, and Equal Access: Masterpiece Cakeshop Explained
Masterpiece Cakeshop shows how public-accommodation laws, religious objections, and government neutrality can collide in one everyday transaction.