AP US Government: Supreme Court Cases

Engel v Vitale

First Amendment/Freedom of Religion/ Establishment Clause

- NY approved law allowing school to start the day with a voluntary prayer.

- Government-directed prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, even if the prayer is denominationally neutral and students may remain silent or be excused from the classroom during its recitation.

- Violates separation of church and state. Americans have a variety of beliefs and government should endorse one over other

Baker v. Carr

14th amendment/ equal protection clause

TN legislative districts were drawn based off 1900 census and had not been changed. By 1950s more people were living in urban areas and yet only had 1 representative- the same as rural areas. People in urban areas felt they were underrepresented.

-1962 ruling: federal government has the ability to intervene in a state's redistricting to ensure fairness because redistricting is not just a political question

- "one person, one vote" - districts should be equal in population

Schenck v. U.S.

First Amendment/Freedom of Speech/non-protected speech

- The circulars Schenck was passing out during WWI urged "Do not submit to intimidation" but advised only peaceful action such as petitioning to repeal the Conscription Act. Schenck was charged with conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act by attempting to cause insubordination in the military and to obstruct recruitment.

Holding/ Ruling of court: During wartime, utterances tolerable in peacetime can be punished. Created the Clear and present danger test.- can't yell fire in a theater

Tinker v. Des Moines

First Amendment/Freedom of Speech/symbolic speech

- students' wearing of armbands to protest the Vietnam War and were suspended

Holding: Students free speech doesn't end at the schoolhouse door. Upheld symbolic speech for students if it doesn't disrupt learning or go against mission of school

U.S. v. Lopez

Article I- commerce clause

Congress passed Gun Free School ZOne Act in 1990- prohibiting anyone from knowingly carrying gun in school zone. Lopez, a high school senior was arrested for carrying gun to school in TX.

Holding- gun laws about schools not related to interstate commerce and not under federal authority. Congress had exceeded its powers and could only regulate economic activities

Roe v. Wade

NO LONGER A REQUIRED FRQ CASE- but you’re still supposed to know about it.

Implied right to privacy- Fourth, Ninth & Fourteenth Amendments

- Federalism issue now- left up to the states to create abortion laws

Brown v. Board of Education

Fourteenth Amendment/equal protection clause

5 court cases came together to challenge Separate but Equal doctrine established in Plessy v Ferguson. Segregration in schools violates equal protection under law

Holding- Integration of Schools - racial segregation violates the equal protection clause. Causes African Americans to feel inferior

Marbury v. Madison

Article III- power of judicial branch

Adams was voted out of office and Jefferson in but he was different party. Last minute Adams appointed a bunch of judicial positions but did not have time to deliver all. When Jefferson came in he told Madison (Sec. of States) not to deliver them. Marbury sued and took case to Supreme Coury

- Holding- Marbury deserves the job but Court could do nothing about it because law that allowed Marbury to come to Supreme Court was unconstitutional

- Precedent: Establishes the Supreme Court as having the power of Judicial Review/interpret the Constitution

McCulloch v. Maryland

Implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause

- National Bank was created and many states didn't like it. MD created a tax on the bank. McCulloch, the head of the National Bank in MD refused to pay and challenged it in court.

- Questions: Could national gov't create a bank and if so, could states tax it?

- Creation of the bank was implied based upon the enumerated power of Congress to tax.

- State of Maryland could not tax federal bank due to Supremacy Clause. "power to tax is power to destroy"

Shaw v. Reno

14th amendment/ equal protection

In NC congressional districts were drawn to create majority minority districts (mostly minorities make up the people living in district). This to ensure minorities ended up having representation in legislature.

Holding- districts based solely on race were unconstitutional. Assumes all members of the race will vote the same. Also, elected officials might feel they only have to represent the wishes of that race and not all constituents.

Redistricting cannot be based only on race- it can be taken into account along with other factors too

Gideon v. Wainwright

Sixth amendment/ Right to a lawyer/ Incorporation case

Gideon was arrested for robbery and could not afford a lawyer. FL only appointed lawyers for death penalty cases. He was found guilty and appealed to Supreme Court saying he was denied right to fair trial

Holding: applied 6th amendment to the states- state courts are required to provide counsel in criminal cases for defendants unable to afford their own attorneys.

Lawyers are necessary to have a fair trial

Wisconsin v. Yoder

1st amendment/ Freedom of Religion/ Free exercise clause

- WI arrested 3 members of Amish community for violating the state compulsory education law that required students to attend school until age 16. Amish believed going to school past 8th grade compromised their religion and the children's salvation.

Holding- Compelling Amish students to attend school past the 8th grade violates the free exercise clause. Families' beliefs outweighed state interest of children attending school. The state failed to show compelling interest for interfering with Amish religious beliefs

McDonald v. Chicago

Second Amendment/ Right to bear arms/ Incorporation case

- City of Chicago passed a ban on handguns to reduce crime. McDonald and other residents challenged the law saying it violated the right of an individual to own a gun.

Holding- applied the 2nd amendment to the states. States cannot take away the right to bear arms. It is a fundamental right for self-defense.

Citizens United v. FEC

1st amendment/ freedom of speech/ campaign finance

- Bipartisan campaign reform act placed limits on how much corporations and unions could spend promoting a candidate in an election. Citizens United, a conservative group, produced Hillary the Movie, to persuade voters not to vote for Clinton. Federal Election Commission said it was the same as political ad and therefore the limits established in BCRA applied.

Holding- Political spending by corporations and unions is a form of Constitutionally-protected free speech. Therefore, money= speech, corporations= people, the government cannot limit how much corporations and unions spend supporting a candidate (must be independent expenditures- meaning no coordinating with candidate's campaign)

New York Times Co v. United States

!st amendment/ freedom of press/ prior restraint

- NYT and Washington Post published excerpts from Pentagon Papers. LEaked government documents about the Vietnam War. The US government attempted to prevent the newspaper from publishing the materials citing they contained classified information and it would endanger national security.

Holding: ruled that the government could not have prior restraint over the press in this case.

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