AP US Government - Required SCOTUS Cases, AP Government Amendments, AP US Government: Foundational Documents

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Established supremacy of the U.S. Constitution and federal laws over state laws; confirmed Congress has implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause.

Federal Law Supreme

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Ruled that Congress may not use the Commerce Clause to make possession of a gun in a school zone a federal crime; limited federal power.

Commerce Power Limited

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Ruled that political spending by corporations and unions is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment.

Corporate Speech Money

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Established the 'one person, one vote' principle, ruling that legislative redistricting is a justiciable issue that federal courts can review.

One Person Vote

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Ruled that racial gerrymandering must be held to a standard of strict scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause.

No Racial Gerrymandering

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established the principle of judicial review, empowering the Supreme Court to nullify an act of the legislative or executive branch that violates the Constitution.

Judicial Review Power

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Ruled that compelling Amish students to attend school past the eighth grade violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

Free Exercise Religion

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Ruled that state-sponsored prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

No School Prayer

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Ruled that students do not lose their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech (symbolic speech) when they step onto school property.

Student Symbolic Speech

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Ruled that the government can limit speech if it creates a 'clear and present danger' of substantive evils.

Clear Present Danger

New York Times v. US (1971)

Bolstered the freedom of the press, establishing a heavy presumption against prior restraint even in cases involving national security.

No Prior Restraint

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

Ruled that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for self-defense is applicable to the states through the 14th Amendment.

States Bear Arms

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Guaranteed the right to an attorney for the poor or indigent in a state felony case under the Sixth Amendment.

Right To Counsel

Brown v. Board of Ed. (1954)

Ruled that 'separate but equal' educational facilities are inherently unequal, violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

End School Segregation

Roe v. Wade (1973) / Dobbs (2022)

Roe established a right to abortion via privacy; Dobbs overturned it, returning the authority to regulate abortion to the states.

States Regulate Abortion

First Amendment

Protects freedom of speech, religion, and the press, as well as the right to assemble and petition. Passed: 15 December, 1791

Second Amendment

Protects a militia's and an individual's right to bear arms. Passed: 15 December, 1791

Third Amendment

Prohibits the forced quartering of soldiers during peacetime. Passed: 15 December, 1791

Fourth Amendment

Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and sets out requirements for search warrants based on probable cause. Passed: 15 December, 1791

Fifth Amendment

Sets out rules for indictment by grand jury and eminent domain, protects the right to due process, and prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy. Passed: 15 December, 1791

Sixth Amendment

Protects the right to a fair and speedy public trial by jury, including the right to be notified of the accusations, confront the accuser, obtain witnesses and retain counsel. Passed: 15 December, 1791

Seventh Amendment

Provides for the right to trial by jury in certain civil cases, according to common law. Passed: 15 December, 1791

Eighth Amendment

Prohibits excessive fines and excessive bail, as well as cruel and unusual punishment. Passed: 15 December, 1791

Ninth Amendment

Protects rights not enumerated in the constitution. Passed: 15 December, 1791

Tenth Amendment

Limits the powers of the federal government to those delegated to it by the Constitution. Passed: 15 December, 1791

Thirteenth Amendment

Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. Passed: 6 December, 1865

Fourteenth Amendment

Defines citizenship, contains the Privileges or Immunities Clause, the Due Process Clause, the Equal Protection Clause, and deals with post-Civil War issues. Passed: 9 June, 1868

Fifteenth Amendment

Prohibits the denial of suffrage based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Passed: 3 February, 1870

Sixteenth Amendment

Allows the federal government to collect income tax. Passed: 3 February, 1913

Eighteenth Amendment

Establishes prohibition of alcohol. Passed: 16 January 16, 1919

Nineteenth Amendment

Establishes women's suffrage. Passed: 18 August, 1920

Twenty-First Amendment

Repeals the Eighteenth Amendment and prohibits violations of state laws regarding alcohol. Passed: 5 December, 1933

Twenty-Second Amendment

Limits the number of times that a person can be elected president. A person cannot be elected president more than twice. Additionally, a person who has served more than two years of a term to which someone else was elected cannot be elected more than once. Passed: 27 February, 1951

Twenty-Fourth Amendment

Prohibits the revocation of voting rights due to the non-payment of poll taxes. Passed: 23 January, 1964

Twenty-Fifth Amendment

Defines the process of presidential succession. Passed: 10 February, 1967

Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Establishes the right to vote for those age 18 years or older. Passed: 1 July, 1971

Federalist (No.) 10

-Argued that the establishment of a representative democracy is effective against partisanship and factionalism

-Shows why founding fathers rejected direct democracy and factionalism (party politics)

Brutus (No.) 1

-Argued that a free republic cannot govern over a country as large as the United States

-States that the government officers would control the people and abuse their power

(The) Declaration of Independence

-States the principles on which the American government is based

-Gave reasoning behind a separation from Britain

-Establishes that all people are created equal

(The) Articles of Confederation

-First written Constitution of the US

-Faults included:

1) Could not collect taxes

2) Could not regulate trade

3) Could not enforce laws

4) Needed approval from 9-13 states in order to pass laws

5) Amending the document had to have unanimous approval

6) No executive branch

7) No national court system

(The) Constitution

-Supreme law of the US

-Contains seven articles & twenty-seven amendments

-Creates the framework of the US government

Bill of Rights

-Series of amendments to the Constitution that guarantees individual freedoms and due process

Federalist (No.) 51

-Addresses means by which appropriate checks and balances can be created in government

-Advocates a separation of powers within the national government

Letter from a Birmingham Jail (Martin Luther King Jr.)

-Defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism.

-States that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws

-Message: take direct action rather than waiting potentially forever for justice to come through the courts

Federalist (No.) 70

-Argues the purpose of having a single executive (president) in government

-States that an executive brings the government both the energy of one person & the safety of an accountability to the people

Federalist (No.) 78

-Discusses the power of judicial review

-Argues that the federal courts have the duty to determine whether acts of Congress are constitutional

-Justifies the structure/function of the Judicial Branch