REQUIRED SUPREME COURT CASES

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established the principle of judicial review; the Supreme Court has the power to declare acts of Congress or the executive branch unconstitutional.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Established the supremacy of the U.S. Constitution and federal laws over state laws; confirmed Congress's implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Held that speech creating a "clear and present danger" is not protected by the First Amendment and can be limited by the government.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Ruled that race-based school segregation violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment; overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Held that federal courts can hear challenges to legislative redistricting plans that may violate the Equal Protection Clause; opened the door to judicial oversight of redistricting.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Ruled that school-sponsored prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Held that the Sixth Amendment right to an attorney applies to state criminal courts through the Fourteenth Amendment; extended right to counsel to felony defendants who cannot afford a lawyer.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Ruled that public school students wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War was protected symbolic speech under the First Amendment; students do not "shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate."

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

Bolstered freedom of the press by establishing a heavy presumption against prior restraint, even in cases involving national security (the "Pentagon Papers" case).

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Ruled that compelling Amish students to attend school past the eighth grade violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Held that majority-minority districts may be constitutionally challenged by voters under the Equal Protection Clause if race is the only factor used in drawing the district.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Ruled that Congress exceeded its power under the Commerce Clause when it made possession of a gun in a school zone a federal crime; limited the scope of the Commerce Clause.

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

Held that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for self-defense is applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment (selective incorporation).

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Ruled that political spending by corporations, associations, and labor unions is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment; opened the door to Super PACs.