AP Gov Case Law Test Prep

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

State-sponsored prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause; the case arose after New York required a voluntary, government-written prayer in schools.

Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971)

Created the Lemon Test for Establishment Clause cases, requiring a secular purpose, no advancement/inhibition of religion, and no excessive entanglement; the case involved public funding of religious schools.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

The Free Exercise Clause can outweigh state interests like compulsory education; Amish parents objected to mandatory high school attendance for religious reasons.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Speech may be limited if it presents a clear and present danger; the case involved anti-draft pamphlets during World War I.

West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette (1943)

Government cannot compel speech or belief; students were punished for refusing to salute the flag for religious reasons.

Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community Schools (1969)

Students retain free speech rights unless their speech causes substantial disruption; students wore armbands protesting the Vietnam War.

Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969)

Speech is protected unless it is intended and likely to incite imminent lawless action; the case involved a KKK leader’s speech advocating violence.

Texas v. Johnson (1989)

Symbolic speech such as flag burning is protected by the First Amendment; the case stemmed from a political protest at the Republican National Convention.

New York Times v. United States (1971)

Prior restraint is unconstitutional except in extreme cases; the federal government attempted to block publication of the Pentagon Papers.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Independent political expenditures by corporations and unions are protected speech; the case involved limits on political advertising before elections.

District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)

The Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to own firearms for self-defense; the case challenged Washington, D.C.’s handgun ban.

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

Incorporated the Second Amendment to the states through the 14th Amendment; the case struck down Chicago’s handgun ban.

Gitlow v. New York (1925)

Began selective incorporation by applying First Amendment free speech protections to the states; Gitlow was convicted for advocating socialism. Incorporation Doctrine

New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985)

School officials need only reasonable suspicion, not probable cause, to search students; the case involved a student caught with cigarettes.

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Applied the exclusionary rule to the states, preventing illegally obtained evidence from being used in court; police conducted an unlawful search.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

States must provide legal counsel to indigent defendants in felony cases; Gideon was denied an attorney during his trial.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Police must inform suspects of their rights before custodial interrogation; Miranda confessed without being informed of his rights.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Upheld racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine; the case involved segregated railroad cars.

Brown v. Board of Education I (1954)

Declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional; the case challenged segregated schools across several states.

Brown v. Board of Education II (1955)

Ordered desegregation to proceed with “all deliberate speed”; addressed enforcement of the earlier Brown decision.

Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964)

Upheld the Civil Rights Act of 1964 using the Commerce Clause; the motel refused to serve Black customers.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

Race may be considered in college admissions, but racial quotas are unconstitutional; the case involved medical school admissions.

Lawrence v. Texas (2003)

Struck down laws criminalizing consensual same-sex intimacy; the case involved a Texas sodomy statute.

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

Legalized same-sex marriage nationwide under Equal Protection and Due Process; the case involved state bans on same-sex marriage.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Established a constitutional right to privacy; the case involved a law banning contraception for married couples.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Recognized a constitutional right to abortion based on privacy; the case challenged a Texas law banning abortions.

Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992)

Replaced Roe’s trimester system with the undue burden standard; the case upheld some abortion regulations but reaffirmed Roe’s core holding.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Declared redistricting justiciable and established the principle of “one person, one vote”; the case involved unequal legislative districts.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Racial gerrymandering may violate Equal Protection even if intended to help minorities; the case involved oddly shaped congressional districts.

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

Upheld Japanese American internment during World War II as a wartime necessity; later widely criticized and repudiated.

United States v. Nixon (1974)

Executive privilege is not absolute; President Nixon was required to release the Watergate tapes.

Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

Campaign spending is a form of protected speech, but contribution limits are constitutional; the case challenged federal campaign finance laws.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Established implied powers and federal supremacy over states; Maryland attempted to tax the national bank.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Limited Congress’s Commerce Clause power; the case struck down a federal gun-free school zones law.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review, allowing courts to declare laws unconstitutional; the case involved last-minute judicial appointments.

Bush v. Gore (2000)

Applied Equal Protection to election recounts; the ruling effectively decided the 2000 presidential election.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Ruled that enslaved people were not citizens and Congress could not ban slavery in territories; overturned by the 13th and 14th Amendments.