Landmark Supreme Court Cases for AP Government

Practice flashcards covering key landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases, their dates, and their legal impacts as discussed in the lecture notes.

MARBURY V. MADISON (1803)

Established the principle of judicial review, empowering the Supreme Court to declare an act of the legislative or executive branch unconstitutional.

MCCULLOCH V. MARYLAND (1819)

Established the supremacy of the U.S. Constitution and federal laws over state laws in a case concerning a national bank and state taxes.

SCHENCK V. UNITED STATES (1919)

Held that speech creating a "clear and present danger" was not protected by the First Amendment and could be limited.

BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION (1954)

Ruled that race-based school segregation violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

BAKER V. CARR (1962)

Held that redistricting did not raise political questions, allowing federal courts to hear cases challenging redistricting plans under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

ENGEL V. VITALE (1962)

Ruled that school sponsorship of religious activities violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

GIDEON V. WAINWRIGHT (1963)

Extended Sixth Amendment right to an attorney to include procedural due process protections for felony defendants in state courts.

TINKER V. DES MOINES INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT (1969)

Ruled that prohibiting students from wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War violated their First Amendment freedom of speech protections.

NEW YORK TIMES CO. V. UNITED STATES (1971)

Bolstered freedom of the press and established a "heavy presumption against prior restraint," even in cases involving national security.

WISCONSIN V. YODER (1972)

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

SHAW V. RENO (1993)

Ruled that majority-minority districts created under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 may be challenged under the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause if race is the only factor used to create the district.

UNITED STATES V. LOPEZ (1995)

Held that Congress exceeded its power under the Commerce Clause by making gun possession in a school zone a federal crime.

MCDONALD V. CHICAGO (2010)

Ruled that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for self-defense is applicable to the states.

CITIZENS UNITED V. FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION (2010)

Held that political spending by corporations, associations, and labor unions is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment.