Constitutional Law Cases

Key vocabulary and case briefs for constitutional law exam review.

South Dakota v. Dole (1987)

Congress could withhold federal highway funds from states that did not adopt a minimum drinking age of 21; upheld Congress' spending power influence.

National Federation of Independent Businesses v. Sebelius (2012)

Upheld Affordable Care Act's individual mandate as a tax; struck down Medicaid expansion provision due to coercion.

United States v. Butler (1936)

Struck down the Agricultural Adjustment Act, ruling it exceeded Congress' power under the Constitution.

Steward Machine Co. v. Davis (1937)

Upheld Social Security Act’s tax provision on employers; tax did not coerce states.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Congress has power to regulate interstate commerce under the Commerce Clause; authority over interstate navigation.

United States v. E.C. Knight Co. (1895)

Federal government could not regulate manufacturing under Sherman Antitrust Act because manufacturing was not interstate commerce.

In re Debs (1895)

Upheld federal government's use of injunction to stop Pullman Strike; intervention in labor disputes impacting interstate commerce.

Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918)

Congress could not regulate child labor in factories using the Commerce Clause; regulating labor was a matter for the states.

A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States (1935)

Struck down the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) as unconstitutional; Congress could not delegate regulatory powers.

Carter v. Carter Coal Co. (1936)

Invalidated the Bituminous Coal Conservation Act of 1935; regulating coal production was not interstate commerce.

National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. (1937)

Upheld National Labor Relations Act (NLRA); Congress could regulate labor relations under the Commerce Clause.

United States v. Darby (1941)

Upheld Fair Labor Standards Act; Congress could regulate labor conditions and wages under the Commerce Clause.

Wickard v. Filburn (1942)

Congress could regulate personal agricultural production under the Commerce Clause.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Congress exceeded Commerce Clause powers with Gun-Free School Zones Act; gun possession not an economic activity.

United States v. Morrison (2000)

Struck down parts of Violence Against Women Act; Congress lacked authority to regulate gender-based violence under Commerce Clause.

Gonzales v. Raich (2005)

Upheld federal government’s authority to prohibit marijuana cultivation for personal use.

United States v. Cruikshank (1875)

Federal government could not prosecute individuals for civil rights violations without state action.

The Civil Rights Cases (1883)

Civil Rights Act of 1875 was unconstitutional; 14th Amendment only applied to state actions, not private individuals.

Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States (1964)

Upheld Civil Rights Act of 1964; Congress could use commerce power to outlaw segregation in public accommodations.

Katzenbach v. McClung (1964)

Upheld Civil Rights Act of 1964; Congress could regulate discrimination in restaurants under the Commerce Clause.

Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson (1986)

Sexual harassment could be brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Bostock v. Clayton County (2020)

Discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity constitutes discrimination "because of sex" under Title VII.

Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore (1998)

Same-sex sexual harassment is prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Reeves v. C.H. Robinson Worldwide (2010)

Title VII extends to retaliation against employees opposing discriminatory practices.

Pollock v. Farmers’ Loan & Trust Co. (1895)

Struck down federal income tax; violated Constitution’s requirement that direct taxes be apportioned.

McCray v. United States (1904)

Upheld federal excise tax on margarine; federal government has broad taxing powers.

Bailey v. Drexel Furniture Co. (1922)

Struck down Child Labor Tax Law; unconstitutional attempt to regulate child labor under guise of taxation.

National Federation of Independent Businesses v. Sebelius (2012)

Upheld Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate as a tax; struck down Medicaid expansion due to coercion.

United States v. Butler (1936)

Struck down Agricultural Adjustment Act; exceeded Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce by controlling local production.

Steward Machine Co. v. Davis (1937)

Upheld Social Security Act’s tax provision on employers; Congress could use taxing power to encourage state participation.