Lex Sans Latin is undertaking an exciting and unprecedented initiative in the study and presentation of constitutional law: Con Law, Chronologically.
It is our mission to analyze every United States Supreme Court decision, in chronological order.
Rather than churning out case briefs that miss the point, reciting trite statistics, or offering scattered headnotes, Lex Sans Latin is determined to breathe life into decisions and tear down the linguistic barriers keeping the ordinary person from understanding what the Supreme Court is really saying, and why it matters.
Con Law, Chronologically is for every person who is interested in learning more about the law. No legal training required.
We also believe practicing attorneys and law students alike can benefit from studying the law beyond the limited selection of “landmark” cases curated and canonized in casebooks for well over a century.
Critically, Lex Sans Latin pledges NEVER to use generative artificial intelligence in the preparation of Con Law, Chronologically. This important initiative is and will always be compiled exclusively by human hands. In other words, every post in our Con Law, Chronologically series is written by founder Johnathan J. Azar, save for cited excerpts written by other humans.
Check out our archives. Lex Sans Latin organizes our posts about Supreme Court decisions by year, state, and Presidency.
By Year
Explore Con Law, Chronologically in its purest form — all of the cases, in the order the Supreme Court heard them.
1791
I Talked to a Descendant of the Supreme Court’s First Petitioner: West v. Barnes (1791)
What If One Million Pounds of Tobacco Could Save Your Life? Van Staphorst v. Maryland (1791)
1792
This Case is Like Paella: Oswald v. New York I and II (1792)
The Devil Went Down to Georgia: Georgia v. Brailsford I (1792)
When An IPA Is Too Bitter For The Court: Hayburn’s Case (1792)
Supreme Court Wrapped: 5 Key Takeaways from 1791–1792
1793
Here’s Why You Can’t Just Ignore a Lawsuit: Oswald v. New York III (1793)
Before You Dine With the Devil, Read the Menu: Georgia v. Brailsford II (1793)
A Decision So Radical, The States Rewrote the Constitution: Chisholm v Georgia (1793)
When Taking a “Vacation” Turns Out to Be the Best Legal Strategy: Oswald v. New York IV (1793)
1794
Apparently You Can Sue a Boat: Glass v. The Sloop Betsey (1794)
1795
When a President Pardons an Insurrectionist: United States v. Hamilton (1795)
When The Government Says, “He Belongs to Intelligence”: Bingham v. Cabot I (1795)
When You Lose Your Case So You Sue the Judge Too: United States v. Lawrence (1795)
The Supreme Court’s First Hallucinated Case: Penhallow v. Doane’s Administrators (1795)
When the Supreme Court Averted an International Incident: United States v. Peters (1795)
The Case That Gave Us Dual Citizenship: Talbot v. Janson (1795)
Supreme Court Wrapped: Top 5 Takeaways from 1793-1795
1796
The Case Used to Justify Obamacare: Hylton v. United States (1796)
What Do You Do When The Record of the Case…Disappears? Hills v. Ross I (1796)
By State
I think it’s fascinating to see what sorts of legal brawls the different States have found themselves in.
Below, we’ve organized Supreme Court decisions “by State.” We categorize a case under a particular State if (1) the case originated in the lower courts of that State, or (2) the State was a party in the case.
Georgia
The Devil Went Down to Georgia: Georgia v. Brailsford I (1792)
Before You Dine With the Devil, Read the Menu: Georgia v. Brailsford II (1793)
A Decision So Radical, The States Rewrote the Constitution: Chisholm v. Georgia (1793)
What Do You Do When The Record of the Case…Disappears? Hills v. Ross I (1796)
Maryland
What If One Million Pounds of Tobacco Could Save Your Life? Van Staphorst v. Maryland (1791)
Apparently You Can Sue a Boat: Glass v. The Sloop Betsey (1794)
New Hampshire
The Supreme Court’s First Hallucinated Case: Penhallow v. Doane’s Administrators (1795)
New York
This Case is Like Paella: Oswald v. New York I and II (1792)
Here’s Why You Can’t Just Ignore a Lawsuit: Oswald v. New York III (1793)
When Taking a “Vacation” Turns Out to Be the Best Legal Strategy: Oswald v. New York IV (1793)
When You Lose Your Case So You Sue the Judge Too: United States v. Lawrence (1795)
Pennsylvania
When An IPA Is Too Bitter For The Court: Hayburn’s Case (1792)
When a President Pardons an Insurrectionist: United States v. Hamilton (1795)
When the Supreme Court Averted an International Incident: United States v. Peters (1795)
By Presidency
The Supreme Court sits atop the Judicial Branch. The President is the head of the Executive Branch. The intersection and collision of these two formidable forces often calls for popcorn.
Explore the Supreme Court’s decisions, organized by the President who was in office when each ruling was issued.
George Washington
I Talked to a Descendant of the Supreme Court’s First Petitioner: West v. Barnes (1791)
What If One Million Pounds of Tobacco Could Save Your Life? Van Staphorst v. Maryland (1791)
This Case is Like Paella: Oswald v. New York I and II (1792)
The Devil Went Down to Georgia: Georgia v. Brailsford I (1792)
When An IPA Is Too Bitter For The Court: Hayburn’s Case (1792)
Here’s Why You Can’t Just Ignore a Lawsuit: Oswald v. New York III (1793)
Before You Dine With the Devil, Read the Menu: Georgia v. Brailsford II (1793)
A Decision So Radical, The States Rewrote the Constitution: Chisholm v. Georgia (1793)
When Taking a “Vacation” Turns Out to Be the Best Legal Strategy: Oswald v. New York IV (1793)
Apparently You Can Sue a Boat: Glass v. The Sloop Betsey (1794)
When a President Pardons an Insurrectionist: United States v. Hamilton (1795)
When The Government Says, “He Belongs to Intelligence”: Bingham v. Cabot I (1795)
When You Lose Your Case So You Sue the Judge Too: United States v. Lawrence (1795)
The Supreme Court’s First Hallucinated Case: Penhallow v. Doane’s Administrators (1795)
When the Supreme Court Averted an International Incident: United States v. Peters (1795)
The Case That Gave Us Dual Citizenship: Talbot v. Janson (1795)
The Case Used to Justify Obamacare: Hylton v. United States (1796)
What Do You Do When The Record of the Case…Disappears? Hills v. Ross I (1796)
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