supreme court cases ap gov

Marbury v Madison (1803)

Marbury v Madison (1803)

ruling : judiciary act of 1789 was unconstitutional; marbury deserved the position, supreme court ruled they don’t have that authority, unanimous

relates to : judicial review

subject - Before Jefferson took office on March 4, 1801, Adams and Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1801, which created new courts, added judges, and gave the president more control over appointment of judges. ___ had been appointed Justice of the Peace in the District of Columbia, but his commission was not delivered. _ petitioned the Supreme Court to compel the new Secretary of State, James Madison, to deliver the documents.

Mcculloch v Maryland (1819)

ruling : congress can create a national bank; maryland can’t tax the bank, unanimous

relates to : federalism

subject - case increased national governmental power because it ensured implied powers

Gibbons v Ogden (1824)

ruling : commerce clause gives congress the authority over inner state navigation, unanimous

relates to : commerce clause, federalism

subject - interstate navigation : a steamboat owner who did business between New York and New Jersey under a federal coastal license – formed a partnership with Ogden, which fell apart after three years when Gibbons operated another steamboat on a New York route belonging to Ogden.

Plessy v Ferguson (1896)

ruling : law was unconstitutional, allowed separate but equal 7-1

relates to : 13, 14, 15 amendments ; equal protection clause

subject - Louisiana enacted the Separate Car Act, which required separate railway cars for blacks and whites. Plessy – who was 7/8 white – agreed to participate in a test to challenge the Act. He was solicited by the Committee of Citizens, a group of New Orleans residents who sought to repeal the Act. They asked Plessy, who was technically black under Louisiana law, to sit in a "whites only" car of a Louisiana train. When Plessy was told to vacate the whites-only car, he refused and was arrested. The judge found that Louisiana could enforce this law insofar as it affected railroads within its boundaries. Plessy was convicted.

Schneck v U.S. (1919)

ruling : free speech doesn’t protect against acts declared unlawful under Espionage Act ; doesn’t protect speech when clear and present danger is present unanimous

subject - selective service act, espionage act ; Schneck said the draft violated 13th amendment ; attempting to cause insubordination in military and obstrict recruiting measures ; appealed under 1st amendment

Brown v BOE (1954)

ruling : segregation of public school violates 14th amendment and constitution, unanimous

subject - young girl was refused access at white school, argued this violates equal protection clause

Baker v Carr (1961)

ruling : court can rule on state reapposionment claims because people can be impacted by equal protection clause, 6-2

relates to : 14th amendment

subject - rural areas were better represented in voting than those in urban areas ; tennessee was supposed to redraw lines every ten years, but they did not

Engel v Vitale (1962)

ruling : school sponsored prayer violates the Establishment Clause ; state can’t hold prayer in public school even if its voluntary

relates to : 1st amendment, establishment clause

subject - The New York State Board of Regents authorized a short, voluntary prayer for recitation at the start of each school day. A group of organizations joined forces in challenging the prayer, claiming that it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The New York Court of Appeals rejected their arguments.

Gideon v Wainwright (1963)

ruling : states must provide counsel if the defendent cannot provide one for themselves.

relates to : 6th & 14th amendment

subject - gideon was caught stealing, he couldnt afford a lawyer and had to represent himelf ; resulted in guilty verdict, later found not guilty after supreme court overruling

Miranda v Arizona (1966)

ruling : 5th amendment requires law to advise suspect of their rights; 6th, they must provide counsel, 5-4

relates to : 5th & 6th amendment

subject - miranda rights, interrogation was unconstitutional

Tinker v Des Moines (1969)

ruling : students dont lose 1st amendment rights on school property ; must materially and substantially interfere, 7-2

relates to : 1st amendment

subject - Students wanted to protest against vietnam war and the principal banned it. Through their parents, the students sued the school district for violating the students' right of expression and sought an injunction to prevent the school district from disciplining the students. The district court dismissed the case and held that the school district's actions were reasonable to uphold school discipline.

New York Times v U.S. (1971)

ruling : government can’t prevent publications if it doesn’t impact the safety of american forces, 6-3

relates to : 1st amendment

subject - secret government study was compromised and published by NYT ; Nixon banned further publication

Wisconsin v Yoder (1972)

ruling : state school attendance law is unconstitutional when applied to a group’s religious reason for not attending school, unanimous

relates to : 1st amendment

subject - 3 amish fathers refused to enroll their kids in school after 8th grade, found guilty, law was reasonable and constitutional

Roe v Wade

ruling : woman has full authority during 1st trimester, states can impose in 2nd sometimes, states can outlaw in 3rd, 7-2

relates to : 1, 4, 5, 9, 14 amendments

subject - right to abortion

U.S. v Nixon (1974)

ruling - limited executive privilege in areas of military or diplomatic affairs

relates to : executive privilege

subject - watergate scandal, nixon refused to show full recordings claimed executive privilege

Shaw v Reno (1993)

ruling : redistricting based on race violates the equal protection clause, 5-4

relates to - equal protection clause, 14

subject - racial gerrymandering, NC drew district to create a second black majority

U.S. v Lopez (1995)

ruling : gun free school zone act is unconstitutional, gave power to states, US exceeded authority under commerce clause, 5-4

relates to : commerce clause, federalism

subject - high school senior charged after carrying gun and ammo in school

McDonald v Chicago (2010)

ruling : individuals right to keep and bear arms is incorporated and applicable to states through 14th amendment, 5-4

relates to : 2 & 14 amendment

subject - law said they had to register to own a gun, Chicago didn’t allow registration

Citizens United v Federal Election Commission (2010)

ruling : cannot limit corporations and labor unions from using funds for political advertising, 5-4

relates to : 1st amendment

subject - campaign funding laws, free speech, hillary clinton campaign doc.

Obergefell v Hodges (2015)

ruling : the right to marry is a fundamental liberty, 5-4

relates to - equal protection clause, due process clause (14th)

subject - same sex marriage ; Groups of same-sex couples sued their relevant state agencies in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee to challenge the constitutionality of those states' bans on same-sex marriage or refusal to recognize legal same-sex marriages that occurred in jurisdictions that provided for such marriages.

Dobbs v Jackson women’s Health Organization (2022)

ruling : constitution does not grant the right to abortion, 5-4

relates to - 14th amendment, federalism

subject - challenged constitutionality of Generational Age Act, took right to abortion