Peterson's CLEP American Government Flash Cards

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Applied the Equal Protection Clause to determine that redistricting cases are within the jurisdiction of federal courts

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Extended the exclusionary rule to state courts, requiring that evidence obtained in violation of the 4th Amendment be excluded from criminal trials

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

Upheld the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066, which authorized the internment of Japenese Americans for military purposes and national security

New York Times v. Sullivan (1964)

Set the “actual malice” standard for defamation of public officials, ruling that public officials must prove actual malice to win a libel case against the press

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Declared racial segregation in schools unconstitutional; unanimously overturned Plessy v. Ferguson

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Established that the US Constitution and federal law supersede state authority

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Held that people of African descent, whether enslaved or free, were not US citizens and therefore were not granted the rights and privileges conferred upon American citizens by the Constitution; also stated that Congress had no authority to ban slavery from a federal territory

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Upheld the “separate but equal” doctrine by declaring that racial segregation laws did not violate the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Held that the federal government has the exclusive power to regulate interstate commerce

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Established the “clear and present danger” test to determine whether certain speech is protected under the 1st Amendment

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Ruled unconstitutional a Connecticut law banning the use of contraceptives by married couples

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established the principle of judicial review whereby the court can declare a law unconstitutional

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Established that the 6th Amendment’s right to an attorney extends procedural due process protections to felony defendants in state courtsLoving v. Virginia (1967)

Loving v. Virginia (1967)

Established that any attempt to limit, prevent, or ban marriages based on racial classifications was a violation of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses

Gitlow v. New York (1925)

Established that the 1st Amendment protection of free speech also applies also to state governments

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

Ruled that students in public schools can exercise their right to free speech

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Established a three-part test for balancing freedom of religion and the interests of the state

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

Defended the freedom of the press against prior restraint by the government

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Established that redistricting must comply with the Voting Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause, allowing race to be a factor, but not the predominant factor, in creating districts

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022)

Overturned both Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), eliminating the federal constitutional right to abortion and returning the issue of regulation to individual states

Arizona v. United States (2012)

Clarified the balance of federal and state authority in immigration enforcement

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Established a woman’s constitutional right to have an abortion, balancing state interests with individual rights; later overturned by Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022)

McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010)

Determined that state and local governments must uphold an individual’s 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Ruled that corporate spending on political causes is an extension of free speech and therefore cannot be capped

Roper v. Simmons (2005) 

Updated Thompson v. Oklahoma (1988); prohibited the execution of people for crimes they committed before reaching legal adulthood (age 18)

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

Held that a university’s admissions criteria that used race as a definite and exclusive basis for an admission decision violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

United States v. Nixon (1974)

Rejected absolute executive privilege, affirming that executive privilege must yield to the needs of the criminal justice system

Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992)

Reaffirmed the constitutional right to abortion and gave states more power to regulate the procedure; later overturned by Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022)

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Ruled that the federal government had overstepped its ability to legislate under the Commerce Clause and encroached on state sovereignty

Trump v. Mazars USA, LLP (2020)

Held that Congress has broad power to investigate the executive branch, including the president, but established a new standard (to be applied by the lower courts) for assessing congressional subpoenas directed at the president

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

Legalized same-sex marriage nationwide

Bush v. Gore (2000)

Reversed an order by the Florida Supreme Court for a selective manual recount of that state’s US presidential election ballots