AP GOPO Key Cases

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Vote was Yes for McCulloch. Article 1, Section 8 was used to justify that banking was the Federal Government’s business and that it was Constitutional under the Elastic Clause. Decided states cannot tax Federal Government because of implied powers. A new standard was set in the Federal Governments supremacy and their implied powers over the states.  

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Ruled against United States, but it was close. Court sided with Lopez because they didn’t want to let Congress invoke the Commerce Clause. Court said that a g*n being allowed near a school had nothing to do with commerce. Congress had stretched commerce Clause too far. New precedent set was the Gun-free School Zones Act (1994).

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC)

The court ruled that part of the BCRA violated the 1st Amendments free speech clause and and that corporations, labor unions, and other organizations could use funds from their treasuries to endorse or denounce a candidate at anytime, provided ads are not coordinated with any candidate. Ruled in favor, 5-4, of Citizens United. Citizens United originally sued because they wanted to put a movie slandering Hilary Clinton out 30 days before the primary, and were told they couldn’t.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

• Overturned precedent from Colegrove v. Green

• Tennessee failed to redraw the district lines, which resulted in votes counting more for less people, and less for more people.

• Baker said it violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment and sued the Tennessee secretary of state.

• Court decided the matter was justiciable and that the court can intervene when states don’t follow constitutional principles in defining political borders.

• Gave no judgment on the uneven districts and let the lower courts then determine if an inequality did exist.

• Since the decision, not only did Tennessee have to redraw but all states had to redraw their legislative boundaries.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

• Tennessee had not redrawn their district lines for a long time.

• Shaw and other white voters, who said this broke the fourteenth amendment, had an issue with this because some districts were predominately made up of African American people, which led to African American Representatives being elected.

• Court ruled for Shaw because race could not be the ONLY factor to define a district, and broke the 14th Amendment.