FCLE Court Cases

Marbury v. Madison

Greatly expanded the power of the Supreme Court by establishing its right to overturn acts of Congress, a power not explicitly granted by the Constitution.

McCulloch v. Maryland

Supremacy Clause and Necessary and Proper Clause

Established the supremacy of the Constitution, the expansion of Congress' powers beyond those enumerated, and the inferior status of state laws in relation to federal laws.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Equal Protection clause

the U.S. Supreme Court stated that enslaved people were not citizens of the United States and, therefore, could not expect any protection from the federal government or the courts

Plessy v. Ferguson

Equal Protection Clause and 13th Amendment

upheld the principle of racial segregation over the next half-century. The ruling provided legal justification for segregation on trains and buses, and in public facilities such as hotels, theaters, and schools.

Schenck v. U.S.

First Amendment

upheld the Espionage Act of 1917 and concluded that a defendant did not have a First Amendment right to express freedom of speech against the draft during World War I.

Korematsu v. United States

5th amendment due process and equal protection clause in 14th amendment

Internment camps were affirmed as legal. setting a controversial precedent for potential civil rights violations during times of national security.

Brown v. Board

Equal Protection Clause of the fourteenth amendment

the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional. It signaled the end of legalized racial segregation in the schools of the United States

Mapp v. Ohio

4th and 14th constitutional amendments

strengthened the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, making it illegal for evidence obtained without a warrant to be used in a criminal trial in state court.

Baker v. Carr

Equal protection clause of the 14th amendment

The Court held that that redistricting qualifies as a justiciable question, thus enabling federal courts to hear redistricting cases.

Engel v. Vitale

First Amendment freedom of religion establishment clause.

landmark Supreme Court decision that struck down prayer in public schools. The case presented squarely the question of whether a public school could sanction classroom prayers at a time when America was increasingly pluralistic and secular.

Gideon v. Wainwright

6th amendment

guaranteeing the right to legal counsel for criminal defendants in federal and state courts.

Miranda v. Arizona

5th and 6th amendments (no self incrimination)

ruled that an arrested individual is entitled to rights against self-incrimination and to an attorney under the 5th and 6th Amendments of the United States

Tinker v. Des Moines

First amendment

established that the First Amendment rights of school students can't be violated by school policies or actions unless the school demonstrates that the expression of the students would cause a material disruption of school functions.

New York Times v. United States

First amendment

he landmark Supreme Court decision, defended the First Amendment right of free press against prior restraint by the government.

Wisconsin v. Yoder

Free exercise clause, first amendment

developed the precedent that parents were allowed to educate their children outside of either the public school system or traditional private schools. In doing so, it prioritized the free exercise of religion over state interests.

Roe v. Wade

Due process clause

decision struck down many abortion laws, and caused an ongoing abortion debate in the United States about whether, or to what extent, abortion should be legal, who should decide the legality of abortion, and what the role of moral and religious views in the political sphere should be.

United States v. Nixon

4th and 5th amendment

the ruling was important to the late stages of the Watergate scandal, amidst an ongoing process to impeach Richard Nixon. United States v. Nixon is considered a crucial precedent limiting the power of any U.S. president to claim executive privilege.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

upheld affirmative action, allowing race to be one of several factors in college admission policy. However, the court ruled that specific racial quotas, such as the 16 out of 100 seats set aside for minority students by the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, were impermissible.

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier

First amendment freedom of press

The First Amendment rights of student journalists are not violated when school officials prevent the publication of certain articles in the school newspaper.

Texas v. Johnson

First amendment free speech

the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Johnson, overturning flag desecration laws in 48 states. The controversial 5-4 decision held that flag burning is a form of symbolic speech, which is protected under the First Amendment. Therefore, any laws prohibiting flag desecration are unconstitutional.

Shaw v. Reno

14th amendment equal protection clause

the justices decided that using racial reasons for redistricting is unconstitutional.

U.S. v. Lopez

Commerce clause

struck down the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, which prohibited possession of firearms within one thousand feet of a school.

Bush v. Gore

Equal protection clause 14th amendment

as it allowed the vote certification made by Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris to stand, giving Bush Florida's 25 electoral votes.

District of Columbia v. Heller

Second amendment

established that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects an individual right to gun ownership

McDonald v. Chicago

Fourteenth amendments due process clause and 2nd amendment

a profound impact on the interpretation of the Second Amendment and on the regulation of guns. By applying the right to bear arms to the states, the Supreme Court constrained the extent to which state and local governments can regulate firearms.

Citizens United v. FEC

First amendment

The Court upheld the reporting and disclaimer requirements for independent expenditures and electioneering communications. The Court's ruling did not affect the ban on corporate contributions. Allowed for creation of super political action committees, deals with elections

Selective Incorporation

For example, a person's freedom of speech and freedom of religion, guaranteed in the First Amendment, applies to the states. As a result, if a state were to try and pass a law that deprives its citizens of the freedom of speech or the freedom of religion, that law would be unconstitutional.