supreme court cases review ap gov

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Cause: Adams appointed Marbury as a judge, but Jefferson refused to deliver his commission. Precedent: Established judicial review, allowing SCOTUS to strike down unconstitutional laws.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Cause: Maryland tried to tax the Second Bank of the United States. Precedent: Upheld implied powers under the Necessary & Proper Clause and established federal supremacy over states.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Cause: Distributed anti-draft leaflets during WWI, violating the Espionage Act. Precedent: Speech can be limited if it creates a clear and present danger.

Gitlow v. New York (1925)

Cause: Arrested under a state anti-anarchy law for publishing a communist manifesto. Precedent: Began incorporation of the 1st Amendment free speech clause to the states via the 14th Amendment.

Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969)

Cause: KKK leader made a speech advocating violence. Precedent: Established the imminent lawless action test; speech is protected unless it incites immediate lawlessness.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Cause: Black man sat in a Whites Only train car to test segregation laws. Precedent: Established the separate but equal doctrine.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Cause: Black students denied entry to white public schools under state segregation laws. Precedent: Overturned Plessy; ruled school segregation violates the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause.

Regents of UC v. Bakke (1978)

Cause: White applicant rejected due to fixed minority quota spots in medical school. Precedent: Outlawed strict racial quotas, but allowed race as one factor in admissions.

Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)

Cause: Applicant sued over a law school using race in admissions decisions. Precedent: Upheld holistic admissions considering race for student body diversity.

Students for Fair Admissions v. UNC / Harvard (2023)

Cause: Plaintiffs argued race-conscious admissions discriminated against Asian Americans. Precedent: Ended race-based affirmative action in college admissions under the 14th Amendment.

Baker v. Carr (1961)

Cause: Tennessee failed to redraw legislative districts for decades, creating unequal representation. Precedent: Ruled federal courts have jurisdiction over redistricting/gerrymandering cases.

Wesberry v. Sanders (1964)

Cause: Georgia congressional districts had vastly unequal populations. Precedent: Established the one person, one vote rule for congressional districts.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Cause: North Carolina created an abnormally shaped majority-minority district. Precedent: Ruled districts drawn primarily on race face strict scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause.

Shelby County v. Holder (2013)

Cause: County challenged Voting Rights Act preclearance requirements. Precedent: Struck down the federal preclearance coverage formula for state voting laws.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Cause: Public schools required students to recite a state-written prayer each morning. Precedent: Banned official school prayer under the Establishment Clause.

Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe (2000)

Cause: Allowed student-led prayer over the stadium loudspeaker before football games. Precedent: Prohibited student-led prayer over public address systems at school events.

Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022)

Cause: Coach suspended for personal post-game prayers at midfield. Precedent: Protected public employee right to private religious speech at work.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Cause: Indigent defendant denied a court-appointed lawyer for a felony trial. Precedent: Guaranteed 6th Amendment right to a free court-appointed lawyer for poor defendants.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Cause: Police interrogated a suspect without reading his rights. Precedent: Required police to read Miranda warnings before custodial interrogation.

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

Cause: Same-sex couples challenged state marriage bans. Precedent: Legalized same-sex marriage nationwide under the 14th Amendment.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Cause: Students suspended for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. Precedent: Protected symbolic speech in public schools unless it causes substantial disruption.

Texas v. Johnson (1989)

Cause: Protester burned an American flag outside a political convention. Precedent: Ruled flag burning is protected symbolic speech under the 1st Amendment.

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)

Cause: Principal removed student articles on pregnancy/divorce from a school newspaper. Precedent: Allowed school administrators to censor school-sponsored publications for pedagogical reasons.

New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)

Cause: Official sued NYT for libel over a civil rights ad with minor errors. Precedent: Required public officials suing for libel to prove actual malice.

New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

Cause: Government tried to stop newspapers from publishing leaked Pentagon Papers. Precedent: Set a high bar against prior restraint, protecting free press over secrecy.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Cause: Amish parents refused to send children to school past 8th grade due to religious beliefs. Precedent: Exempted Amish families from compulsory high school under Free Exercise.

Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah (1993)

Cause: City banned animal sacrifices after a Santería church opened. Precedent: Struck down laws targeting specific religious practices.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Cause: Advocates arrested for providing contraceptives to married couples. Precedent: Established a constitutional right to privacy regarding birth control.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Cause: Woman challenged state laws prohibiting abortion except to save the mother. Precedent: Extended right to privacy to protect a woman's right to an abortion.

Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992)

Cause: State passed restrictions requiring waiting periods and parental consent for abortions. Precedent: Reaffirmed abortion rights using the undue burden standard.

Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt (2016)

Cause: State imposed strict hospital-admitting rules on abortion doctors/clinics. Precedent: Struck down regulations placing an undue burden without health benefits.

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022)

Cause: Mississippi passed a law banning almost all abortions after 15 weeks. Precedent: Overturned Roe and Casey, returning abortion regulation to the states.

Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964)

Cause: Motel owner refused Black guests, challenging the Civil Rights Act. Precedent: Banned racial discrimination in public accommodations under the Commerce Clause.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Cause: Student charged under federal law for bringing a gun to a school zone. Precedent: Limited federal power under the Commerce Clause; guns in schools are not commercial activity.

District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)

Cause: Special police officer challenged local laws banning handguns at home. Precedent: Protected individual 2nd Amendment right to own firearms for self-defense at home.

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

Cause: Residents challenged citywide handgun bans after the Heller decision. Precedent: Incorporated the 2nd Amendment individual right to bear arms to states.

Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

Cause: Candidates challenged post-Watergate campaign finance limit laws. Precedent: Ruled campaign spending is protected free speech, but upheld direct contribution limits.

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Cause: Group challenged limits on funding political films broadcast near elections. Precedent: Allowed unlimited independent corporate/union political expenditures (Super PACs)