AP US Government Federal Cases 2025

Marbury v. Madison 1803

Facts: William Marbury was appointed as a judge by President Adams, but his commission wasn’t delivered before Jefferson took office and Marbury sued to get it.

Holding: The Court ruled it could not force Madison to deliver the commission.

Principle: Judicial Review- SCOTUS can declare laws as being unconstitutional.

Impact: Strengthened the judiciary by giving it the power to interpret the Constitution.

McCulloch v. Maryland 1819

Facts: Maryland attempted to tax the national bank, but McCulloch (a bank employee) refused to pay.

Holding: States cannot tax federal institutions. The bank is constitutional.

Principle: Necessary and Proper Clause, Supremacy Clause

Impact: Expanded federal power and confirmed that federals override state laws.

United States v. Lopez 1995

Facts: Lopez (a student) brought a gun to school. He was charged under a federal law banning guns in school zones.

Holding: The law exceeded Congress’s power under the Commerce Clause.

Principle: Commerce Clause has limits.

Impact: First case in decades that limited federal power and returned some of that power to the states.

Engel v. Vitale 1962

Facts: New York public schools held a short, voluntary prayer each morning.

Holding: School-sponsored prayer is in violation of the Establishment Clause.

Principle: 1st Amendment (Establishment Clause)

Impact: Strengthened the separation between church and state. There can be no public-school prayers.

Wisconsin v. Yoder 1972

Facts: Amish parents did not want to send their kids to school past the 8th grade, but Wisconsin law required school until 16.

Holding: The law violated Amish families’ religious rights.

Principle: 1st Amendment (Free Exercise Clause)

Impact: Expanded protections for religious freedom in education.

Tinker v. Des Moines 1969

Facts: Students wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War and were suspended from school.

Holding: The suspension violated the students’ right to free speech.

Principle: 1st Amendment (Freedom of Speech)

Impact: Students have a right to free speech at school as long as it is not disrupting learning.

New York Times v. United States 1971

Facts: The Nixon administration tried to block the publication of the Pentagon Papers.

Holding: The government cannot use prior restraint aka preemptive censorship, unless national security is at risk.

Principle: 1st Amendment (Freedom of the Press)

Impact: Strengthened the freedoms of the press even in sensitive government matters.

Schenck v. United States 1919

Facts: Schenk distributed leaflets urging people to resist the WWI draft.

Holding: Any speech creating a “clear and present danger” is not protected under the 1st Amendment.

Principle: 1st Amendment (Limitations on Free Speech)

Impact: This set the standard for restricting speech and was later replaced by the “imminent lawless action” test.

Gideon v. Wainright 1963

Facts: Gideon was charged with a felony but could not afford a lawyer and Florida refused to provide one.

Holding: States must provide attorneys to poor defendants in felony cases

Principle: 6th Amendment (Right to Counsel) and 14th Amendment (Incorporation Doctrine)

Impact: Applied the right to a lawyer to state cases, not just federal ones.

McDonald v. Chicago 2010

Facts: Chicago banned handguns, and McDonald sued, citing his 2nd Amendment rights.

Holding: The 2nd Amendment applies to states due to incorporation.

Principle: 2nd Amendment and 14th Amendment (Selective Incorporation)

Impact: Expanded gun rights and made the 2nd Amendment enforceable at the state level.

Brown v. Board of Education 1954

Facts: Black students were being denied entry into white public schools.

Holding: Segregation in public schools is unconstitutional, and so is the notion of “equal but separate”.

Principle: 14th Amendment (Equal Protection Clause)

Impact: Overturned the case of Plessy v. Ferguson and began the desegregation and civil rights movement.

Citizen United v. Federal Election Commission 2010

Facts: Citizens United wanted to air a film that was critical of Hillary Clinton. The FEC said no under a campaign finance law.

Holding: Corporations and unions can spend unlimited money on independent political ads.

Principle: 1st Amendment (Freedom of Speech)

Impact: This led to Super Political Action Committees aka committees that can run ads for or against political candidates, as long as they are not directly supporting candidates, and a massive outbreak of outside spending in elections.

Baker v. Carr 1961

Facts: Tennessee hadn’t reapportioned their districts in decades which led to unequal representation.

Holding: Federal courts can rule on reapportioning cases.

Principle: Equal Protection Clause (14th Amendment)

Impact: Opened the door to “one person, one vote” and more fair districts.

Shaw v. Reno 1993

Facts: North Carolina created a bizarrely shaped majority-Black districts.

Holding: Racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional if race is the dominant factor.

Principle: 14th Amendment (Equal Protection Clause)

Impact: Race cannot be the primary reason for drawing districts, but strict scrutiny applies.