CASES American Gov Exam 2

Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge

(1837) The court limited the more expansive property rights precedents of the Marshall Court and concluded that any ambiguity within a contract should be interpreted to benefit the public interest, asserting the rights of the community without fundamentally damaging property rights.

Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad

The court interpreted the word “persons” in the Fourteenth Amendment to apply equally to corporations. The substantive right to enter into contracts was also founded in this decision and used subsequently as a justification for striking down government regulation of business.

Roe v. Wade

(1973) With this landmark decision, the court struck down a Texas law regulating access to abortion as a violation of a woman’s fundamental right to privacy.

Webster v. Reproductive Health Services

(1989) The court upheld all abortion regulations in question and concluded that such regulations did not prohibit a woman from having an abortion, but reasonably furthered the state’s interest in encouraging childbirth.

Shelby County v. Holder

(2013) The court struck down elements of the 1965 Civil Rights Act including the critical “preclearance” provisions. The court argued that the data used to decide which states were covered by the preclearance provisions were outdated.

United States v. Windsor

(2013) The court declared that the Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage as between one man and one woman, was an unconstitutional denial of gay persons’ Fifth Amendment protection of equal liberty.

Brown v. Board of Education

(1954) This landmark case overturned Plessy and declared that separate was inherently unequal. Consequently, the segregation of public schools was unconstitutional.

Frothingham v. Mellon

Concerning the Maternity Act, Suing is based on the fact she pays for taxes, The Result: she was not a proper plaintiff because she has not been uniquely damaged, so supreme court threw out case.

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia

Georgia sold a bunch of Cherokee land, SC didn’t hear the case because Cherokee Nation was a “domestic dependent nation.”

Worcester v. Georgia

Georgia citizens started living in Cherokee Land without permission, Courts ruled in favor of Worcester but results couldn’t be enforced.

Engel v Vitale

(1962) ruled the practice of prayer in public schools unconstitutional, violating the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Abington School District v. Schemp

(1963) Public schools cannot sponsor Bible readings and recitations of the Lord’s Prayer under the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.

Wallace v Jaffree

(1985) Schools can’t endorse a certain religion or do prayers.

Baker v Carr

Court ruled that federal courts can review redistricting issues

Gray v Sanders

Concluded that congressional districts must be as equal in population and practical.

Wesberry v. Sanders

requires each state to draw its U.S. Congressional districts so that they are approximately equal in population

Reynolds v Sims

Equal protection requires that state legislative districts should be comprised of roughly equal populations if possible. Lines dividing electoral districts in Alabama had resulted in dramatic population discrepancies among the districts.

United Church of Christ v. Federal Communications Commission

the court held that the Commission had an affirmative duty to help develop the record when an intervenor had raised a serious public interest question.

Morgan v. Hennigan

landmark court ruling that ordered the public schools of Boston to desegregate

james v wallace

against Alabama and officials responsible for its state prisons, alleging violations of his Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment rights

Marbury v. Madison

Judicial Review