AP gov landmark court cases

Marbury v. Madison ruling

• established judicial review

• the part of the judiciary act of 1789 that allowed marbury to bring the case violated the constitution

Marbury v. Madison constitutional connection

article III - establishes the judicial branch and its powers

• can the case be brought to the court?

McCulloch v. Maryland ruling

• necessary + proper clause gave federal govt broad power to pass laws not specifically connected to expressed powers

• supremacy clause - states can’t invalidate federal laws/tax federal land

McCulloch v. Maryland constitutional connection

• necessary + proper clause

• supremacy clause

Schneck v. US ruling

prohibiting speech encouraging unlawful behavior is constitutional during wartime

Schneck v. US constitutional connection

freedom of speech - 1st amendment

Brown v. Board of education ruling

• overturned plessy v. ferguson

• “separate but equal” violates equal protection clause of 14th amendment

Brown v. Board of education constitional connection

equal protection clause of 14th amendment

Engel v. Vitale ruling

schools are govt funded institutions so public school sponsorship of religious activity is unconstitutional

Engel v. Vitale constitutional connection

establishment clause of 1st amendment - prohibits govt from making laws respecting an establishment of religion

Baker v. Carr ruling

• reapportionment = justiciable (Court can rule on it)

• “one person one vote” - legislative districts must be roughly equal in population

Baker v. Carr constitutional connection

equal protection clause of 14th amendment - states should treat individuals in similar situations equally under the law

Gideon v. Wainwright ruling

• everyone deserves a lawyer - right to counsel is fundamental

• due process clause justified applying right to counsel to the states

  • this right is protected in fed + state courts

Gideon v. Wainwright constitutional connection

• 6th amendment - right to a lawyer

• due process clause - gov should follow fair procedures before depriving anyone of life, liberty, or property

Tinker v. Des Moines ruling

to suppress free speech it has to interfere with school operations first (can’t disrupt learning)

Tinker v. Des Moines constitutional connection

1st amendment - freedom of speech

NYT v. US ruling

• power of prior restraint exists w/ a high bar

  • govt’s power to prevent publication on the basis of national security

• pentagon papers didn’t qualify for national security because publication didn’t put Americans in danger (it just embarrassed the govt)

NYT v. US constitutional connection

1st amendment - freedom of the press

Wisconsin v. Yoder ruling

Wisconsin violated free exercise freedom of Amish parents to practice religion

Wisconsin v. Yoder constituonal connection

1st amendment - free exercise clause

Shaw v. Reno ruling

• race can’t be the only factor when creating a legislative district

• placed limits on gerrymandering

Shaw v. Reno constitutional connection

14th amendment - equal protection clause

US v. Lopez ruling

• unconstitutional - possessing a firearm in a school zone has nothing to do w/ interstate commerce

• major shift away from vague interpretation of Commerce Clause and establishing more state and local control

US v. Lopez constitutional connection

article I - commerce clause

McDonald v. Chicago ruling

• handgun ban was ruled unconstitutional

• right to self defense was declared fundamental + applied to states

McDonald v. Chicago constitutional connection

• 2nd amendment

• 14th amendment - due process clause

Citizens United v. FEC ruling

• corporations = people (in a legal sense); they have freedom of speech protected by 1st amendment

• independent political expenditures can’t be limited

• more superpacs

Citizens United v. FEC constitutional connection

1st amendment - freedom of speech

Marbury v. Madison case facts

• After losing the election of 1800, John Adams quickly appointed judges to newly created federal courts.

• New judges could not take office until their commissions were delivered, and Jefferson’s administration refused to deliver them.

McCulloch v. Maryland case facts

• Maryland attempted to tax the Second Bank of the US

• Maryland state court ruled the bank unconstitutional

Schneck v. US case facts

Schenk was a communist who distributed literature encouraging men to disobey the draft during WWI. He was arrested for violating the Espionage Act of 1917.

Brown v. Board of Education case facts

African-American students attempted to enroll in a whites-only public school in Topeka, Kansas and were denied on the basis of race because segregated public schools were created by Kansas law.

Engel v. Vitale case facts

New York schools started each day with a short, voluntary, non-denominational prayer.

Baker v. Carr case facts

Tennessee’s reapportionment of legislative districts did not consider population changes. As a result, people living in sparsely populated rural areas were overrepresented in the state legislature compared to densely populated urban areas.

Gideon v. Wainwright case facts

Gideon was arrested and requested a court-appointed lawyer, but Florida law only provided them in capital cases (cases in which the death penalty was possible).

Tinker v. Des Moines case facts

A group of students wore black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War, despite being warned by admin that they would be suspended.

NYT v. US case facts

• During the Vietnam War, the New York Times obtained and published top secret documents revealing that multiple Presidential administrations lied to the public about the scope, objectives, and progress of the war.

• After their first publication, the Nixon administration sought a Court order to prevent further publication on the grounds that it would jeopardize national security.

Wisconsin v. Yoder case facts

• Wisconsin required students to attend school through age 16.

• Amish communities withdrew students after 8th grade and were charged with violating the law.

Shaw v. Reno case facts

North Carolina residents argued that legislative districts in their state were created with the intention of packing African-American voters into a small number of districts, thereby diluting their voting power in surrounding districts.

US v. Lopez case facts

Student with concealed gun on school grounds charged with federal crime, violating Gun-Free School Zones Act.

McDonald v. Chicago case facts

• Chicago passed a handgun ban in city limits.

• The Court had previously ruled a similar ban in DC unconstitutional

Citizens United v. FEC case facts

• The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act banned corporations from donating directly to candidates/campaigns AND from spending on political expression independently.

• The nonprofit political corporation Citizens United was barred from showing an anti-Hillary Clinton movie.