Supreme Court Cases

McCulloch v. Maryland

US v. Lopez

McCulloch v. Maryland was the bank one, where the federal government’s implied powers based on the Necessary and Proper Clause for banking could not be interfered with by the explicit powers of the state to tax; this was based on the Supremacy Clause stating that the federal government has supremacy over state government.

US v. Lopez was the gun in schools commerce clause one. Congress ruled against guns in schools based on Commerce Clause, Supreme Court ruled that guns in school don’t interfere with interstate commerce.

Engel v. Vitale

Wisconsin v. Yoder

Tinker v. Des Moines

NY Times v. US

Schenck v. US

Engel v. Vitale, schools required a prayer but it was outlawed under the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment

Wisconsin v. Yoder, Amish didn’t want to send kids to school past 8th grade and it was valid because the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment

Tinker v. Des Moines, students had Vietnam arm bands, court ruled symbols fell under First Amendment Free Speech Clause

NY Times v. US, limited prior restraint, relating to First Amendment

Schenck v. US, established clear and present danger test for questions of free speech.

Gideon v. Wainwright

McDonald v. Chicago

Gideon v. Wainwright, a person didn’t get an attorney for a state case, court ruled this was against his Sixth Amendment right to counsel

McDonald v. City of Chicago, Chicago banned handguns from their city, but court ruled this was against the Second Amendment

Brown v. Board

Baker v. Carr

Shaw v. Reno

Brown v. Board, African American students challenged the racial segregation under separate but equal laws, court ruled that racial segregation in schools is unconstitutional (equal protection, 14th amendment)

Baker v. Carr was a case about apportionment, where the court ruled that questions over apportionment were legal, not political, and therefore the court could rule over it and it did: saying that population should be proportional to votes. Related to the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment.

Shaw v. Reno was the one where gerrymandering followed racial boundaries. Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment led to the decision that this was unconstitutional.

Citizens United v. FEC

Citizens United v. FEC, Citizens United is a group that did corporate political spending and the court ruled that political spending is a form of free speech based on the First Amendment, loosening corporate spending

Marburry v. Madison

Established Judicial Review, power for Supreme Court to declare acts by Congress unconstitutional, connects to Article III,