AP Exam REQUIRED Supreme Court Cases

Flashcards of Landmark Supreme Court Cases

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

• Can the Supreme Court strike down laws? Yes

• Article III

• Established judicial review, giving the Supreme Court the power to declare laws unconstitutional.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

• Can states tax the federal bank? No

• Necessary and Proper Clause; Supremacy Clause

• Established Judicial review, gave the court power to declare laws unconstitutional, Implied Powers, expanding federal power over states.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

• Can speech be restricted during wartime? No

• 1st Amendment

• Established the 'clear and present danger' test, allowing restrictions on speech during wartime.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

• Is school segregation constitutional? No

• 14th Amendment: Equal Protection

• Ruled that 'separate but equal was unconstitutional, desegregating public schools and overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.

Baker v. Carr (1961)

• If urban votes have more weight than city votes, can courts rule on legislative redistricting? Yes

• 14th Amendment: Equal Protection

• Established that federal courts can decide redistricting cases based on 'one person, one vote.'

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

• Can Public schools sponsor prayer? NO

• 1st Amendment: Freedom of Religion

• Banned school-led prayer in public schools, citing a violation of the Establishment Clause.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

• Ruled that states must provide free attorneys in felony cases, ensuring the right to counsel.

• 6th and 14th Amendments (Due Process and Equal Protection)

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

• Can students exercise peaceful protest? Yes

• 1st Amendment

• Protected student symbolic speech, affirming students' speech rights in schools.

New York Times v. U.S. (1971)

• Can govt. stop publication of classified info? No (prior restraint)

• 1st Amendment

• Strengthened freedom of the press by ruling that prior restraint is almost always unconstitutional.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

• Expanded religious freedom protections, allowing Amish students to skip school for religious reasons.

• 1st Amendment (religion)

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

• Can districts be drawn based only on race? No

• 14th Amendment: Equal Protection

• Ruled that racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional, stating race cannot be the only factor in redistricting.

U.S. v. Lopez (1995)

• Limited federal power under the Commerce Clause, restricting Congress's ability to ban guns near schools.

• Article I

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

• Can corps spend money on Political ads? Yes

• 1st Amendment

• Ruled that corporate spending on political ads is protected speech, leading to the rise of Super PACs.

McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010)

• Does the Second Amendment apply to states? Yes

• 2nd and 14th Amendment

• Applied the Second Amendment to states, striking down state and local handgun bans.