Landmark Court Cases AP Gov

Marbury v. Madison, 1803

Established the principle of judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional.

McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819

Confirmed the supremacy of federal laws over state laws and upheld the constitutionality of the Bank of the United States.

Schenck v. United States, 1919

Established the 'clear and present danger' test for restricting free speech.

Brown v. Board of Education, 1954

Declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Baker v. Carr, 1961

Established principles of apportionment and allowed federal courts to hear redistricting cases.

Engel v. Vitale, 1962

Ruled that government-sponsored prayer in public schools violated the Establishment Clause.

Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963

Guaranteed the right to counsel for defendants in criminal cases.

Tinker v. Des Moines School District, 1969

Affirmed students' rights to free speech in public schools.

New York Times Company v. U.S., 1971

Protected the press from prior restraint by the government.

Wisconsin v. Yoder, 1972

Recognized the rights of parents to educate their children in accordance with their religious beliefs.

Roe v. Wade, 1973 (phasing out)

Established a woman's legal right to have an abortion under the right to privacy.

Shaw v. Reno, 1993

Declared that redistricting based on race must meet strict scrutiny standards.

United States v. Lopez, 1995

Limited Congress's power under the Commerce Clause regarding the possession of firearms.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC), 2010

Held that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts cannot be limited.

McDonald v. Chicago, 2010

Incorporated the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms against state laws.

Regents of the Univ of CA v Bakke

Ruled that race could be a factor in college admissions but strict quotas were unconstitutional.

TX v Johnson

Protected flag burning as a form of symbolic speech under the First Amendment.

Gibbons v Ogden

Established federal authority over interstate commerce.

Miller v CA

Defined obscenity and established a three-part test for determining what constitutes obscene material.

Korematsu v US

Upheld the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II as a wartime necessity.

Bush v Gore

Resolved the 2000 presidential election dispute by halting the Florida recount.