Required Supreme Court Cases for AP Government

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

This case set a precedent for a broad interpretation of federal powers, strengthening the national government over the states.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

This case marked the first time in decades that the Supreme Court limited Congress's power under the Commerce Clause.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

The New York State Board of Regents authorized a voluntary, non-denominational prayer to be recited in public schools. The prayer was challenged by a group of parents, who argued that it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

The Court ruled 7-0 in favor of Yoder, finding Wisconsin’s law unconstitutional as applied to the Amish.

Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District(1969)

During the Vietnam War, Mary Beth Tinker and other students wore black armbands to school to protest the war. The school suspended them, claiming that the armbands disrupted the learning environment. The students sued, arguing that their First Amendment rights had been violated.

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

The Nixon administration sought to prevent the New York Times and Washington Post from publishing the Pentagon Papers, a classified study detailing U.S. involvement in Vietnam, citing national security concerns.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

He was charged under the Espionage Act of 1917, which prohibited attempts to interfere with military operations, including the draft. He argued that the Act violated his First Amendment right to free speech.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Clarence Earl Gideon was charged with felony breaking and entering in Florida. He could not afford an attorney and requested a court-appointed lawyer.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

The Supreme Court held that a woman’s decision to have an abortion falls under the right to privacy protected by the Fourteenth Amendment (previously clarified in Griswold v. Connecticut).

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

After the Supreme Court’s decision in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), which struck down a federal handgun ban, McDonald and others challenged Chicago’s handgun ban, arguing it violated their Second Amendment rights.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

The case consolidated several lawsuits against public school segregation, primarily focusing on the experience of African American students who were denied admission to public schools due to state segregation laws.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

In 2008, Citizens United, a nonprofit organization, created a documentary critical of Hillary Clinton during her presidential campaign.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Tennessee's legislature had not reapportioned districts to account for significant population shifts, meaning that the weight of individual votes in rural districts was greater than in urban districts.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

The plaintiffs, a group of white North Carolina residents, argued that the district was drawn in a strange, almost absurd shape with the primary purpose being racial gerrymandering, and that it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

In the final days of his presidency, John Adams appointed several judges under the Judiciary Act of 1801. When Thomas Jefferson took office, his Secretary of State, James Madison, refused to deliver the commissions. William Marbury, one of the appointees, petitioned the Supreme Court to compel Madison to deliver the commissions.