AP GOV SCOTUS

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review; gave the Supreme Court power to declare laws unconstitutional; Principle: Judicial Review

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Established implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause and said states cannot tax federal institutions; Principle: Federal Supremacy & Implied Powers

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Limited Congress’s power under the Commerce Clause; Gun-Free School Zones Act struck down; Principle: Limited Federal Power.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

School-sponsored prayer in public schools is unconstitutional; Principle: Establishment Clause

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Allowed Amish families to remove children from school for religious reasons; Principle: Free Exercise Clause

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Students have protected symbolic speech in schools; Principle: Freedom of Speech

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Established “clear and present danger” test limiting speech; Principle: Limits of Free Speech

New York Times v. United States (1971)

Government cannot use prior restraint to stop publication; Principle: Freedom of the Press

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Defendants have the right to an attorney even if they cannot afford one; Principle: Right to Counsel

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Police must inform suspects of their rights; Principle: Self-Incrimination & Due Process

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Illegally obtained evidence cannot be used in court; Principle: Due Process

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Established right to privacy in abortion decisions (later overturned); Principle: Right to Privacy

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022)

Overturned Roe v. Wade and returned abortion laws to states; Principle: Federalism

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Segregation in public schools is unconstitutional; Principle: Equal Protection Clause

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Upheld “separate but equal” segregation (later overturned); Principle: Equal Protection (misinterpreted)

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

Allowed affirmative action but banned strict racial quotas; Principle: Equal Protection

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Established right to privacy in contraception; Principle: Right to Privacy

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Racial gerrymandering violates Equal Protection; Principle: Equal Protection

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Established one person, one vote; Principle: Equal Representation

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Political spending by corporations is protected speech; Principle: Freedom of Speech