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U.S. Constitution Training

Companion course 路 Case history

鈿栵笍 Constitutional Firsts: The First Cases on Every Article and Amendment

Who first tested each part of the Constitution in court, and what happened? Twelve lessons walk through every section of Articles I to VII and all 27 amendments, naming the first case to interpret, apply or strike down a law under each clause, telling the story of that case, and tracing how the rule changed down to the leading case today. Each lesson ends with a summary table and a guide to finding first cases yourself.

12 lessons 路 about 4 hours 路

Start lesson 1

  1. 1What Counts as a First CaseHow constitutional questions reach court, why some clauses waited decades for a first case, what the Supreme Court did in its first years (West v. Barnes, Hayburn's Case, Chisholm v. Georgia, Hylton, Ware v. Hylton, Marbury v. Madison, Fletcher v. Peck), and a step-by-step method for finding the first case on any clause yourself.19 min
  2. 2Article I, Sections 1 to 7: the Legislative Power, House, Senate and BillsThe first cases on Congress's own structure: nondelegation from The Brig Aurora (1813) to Panama Refining (1935) and FCC v. Consumers' Research (2025); equal districts in Wesberry v. Sanders; fixed qualifications in Powell v. McCormack and U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton, and what Thornton meant for Idaho's 1994 term limits; the Elections Clause, House rules, the Speech or Debate Clause from Kilbourn v. Thompson, the Origination Clause, presentment in INS v. Chadha and Clinton v. City of New York, and the pocket veto.20 min
  3. 3Article I, Section 8: The Powers of CongressThe first cases on each of Congress's listed powers: taxing (Hylton, 1796), spending (United States v. Butler, 1936), borrowing (Perry), commerce (Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824, through Wickard and Lopez), naturalization (Chirac v. Chirac), bankruptcy (Sturges v. Crowninshield), money (Hepburn v. Griswold and the Legal Tender Cases), counterfeiting, the post office (Ex parte Jackson), copyright (Wheaton v. Peters), war powers (Bas v. Tingy), the draft and militia, and the Necessary and Proper Clause (McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819).20 min
  4. 4Article I, Sections 9 and 10: Limits on Congress and the StatesThe first cases on habeas corpus, bills of attainder, ex post facto laws, direct and export taxes, titles of nobility, the Contract Clause, state money, import duties and interstate compacts, and how each rule changed.20 min
  5. 5Article II: The PresidentThe first cases on the Electoral College, removal, pardons, commander in chief, appointments, recess appointments, take care, executive privilege and impeachment, through Trump v. Slaughter (2026).18 min
  6. 6Article III: The CourtsThe first cases on the judicial power, cases and controversies, judicial review, review of state courts, original jurisdiction, jury trials and treason, from Hayburn's Case (1792) to the World War II treason cases.15 min
  7. 7Articles IV to VII: States, Amendments, Supremacy and RatificationThe first cases on full faith and credit, privileges and immunities, extradition, territories, the Guarantee Clause, the amendment process, the Supremacy Clause and ratification, and how each rule developed.20 min
  8. 8First and Second Amendments: The First Cases on Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly and ArmsThe first Supreme Court cases on each clause of the First and Second Amendments, the cases that applied those rights to the states, and the tests that govern today.19 min
  9. 9Third through Eighth Amendments: The First Cases on Homes, Searches, Trials and PunishmentThe first cases on quartering, searches, grand juries, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, due process, takings, counsel, juries, bail, fines and punishment, and how each right reached the states.20 min
  10. 10Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth AmendmentsThe first cases on unenumerated rights, reserved powers, state sovereign immunity and the Electoral College: from Chisholm v. Georgia (1793) and McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) to Printz (1997), Idaho v. Coeur d'Alene Tribe (1997) and Chiafalo v. Washington (2020).20 min
  11. 11The Reconstruction Amendments: 13, 14 and 15The first cases on the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, from United States v. Rhodes (1866) and the Slaughter-House Cases (1873) to Strauder, Yick Wo, Plessy, Guinn, Griffin's Case (1869) and Trump v. Anderson (2024).19 min
  12. 12Amendments 16 to 27The first cases, or the lack of them, on the twelve amendments ratified from 1913 to 1992: from Pollock and Brushaber on the income tax to Leser v. Garnett, Harman v. Forssenius, Oregon v. Mitchell and Boehner v. Anderson.18 min

Verify independently

Every case, citation, vote count and quotation in this lesson was checked against a primary or reliable source in October 2026, but constitutions are amended, opinions are withdrawn and links move. Check the official text and the opinion itself before you rely on anything here.