APUSGOV Required SCOTUS Cases

Madison v. Marbury (1803)

A landmark case that established the principle of judicial review in the United States, allowing the Supreme Court to invalidate laws that are deemed unconstitutional.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

A case that gave more power to the national government. It used the supremacy clause to argue the establishment of a national bank, and the Supreme Court upheld that federal laws take precedence over state laws.

Freedom of Religion SCOTUS Cases

1. Wisconsin v. Yoder: A 1972 case in which the Supreme Court ruled that the state could not compel Amish children to attend school past the eighth grade, citing freedom of religion.

2. Engel v. Vital: A 1962 case where the Supreme Court declared that government-sponsored prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Freedom of Speech SCOTUS Cases

1. Citizens United v FEC: A 2010 landmark decision where the Supreme Court held that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited because of the First Amendment's free speech protection.

2. New York Times v. United States: A 1971 Supreme Court case that upheld the right of the press to publish classified information, ruling that prior restraint was unconstitutional; Involved the Pentagon Papers.

3. Tinker v. Des Moines: A 1969 case affirming that students do not lose their free speech rights at school, protecting their right to wear armbands in protest. Their speech was not harmful or distracting to their education or to other students.

4. Shneck v. United States: A 1919 case that determined the limits of free speech, ruling that speech presenting a "clear and present danger" to national security can be restricted.

Gerrymandering SCOTUS cases

1. Baker v. Carr: ‘One person one vote’ principle was established, addressing issues of legislative apportionment. Congress cannot create legislative districts in which one vote outweighs another.

2. Shaw v. Reno: ‘color-blind congress’, Congress cannot redraw legislative districts to favor a particular racial group, as this violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

2nd Amendment SCOTUS cases

1. United States v. Lopez: A 1995 case where the Supreme Court ruled that Congress had exceeded its authority under the Commerce Clause by banning guns in school zones.

2. McDonald v. Chicago: A 2010 case that incorporated the Second Amendment's right to bear arms to the states, affirming individuals' rights to possess firearms for self-defense.

Gideon v. Wainwright

A landmark Supreme Court case from 1963 that held that the Sixth Amendment's guarantee of counsel is a fundamental right applicable to state courts through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause, ensuring that defendants who cannot afford an attorney have the right to free legal representation.

Brown v. Board of Education

A landmark Supreme Court case from 1954 that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson and emphasizing that segregation creates a sense of inferiority among minority children.