Landmark Supreme Court Cases

Flashcards about landmark Supreme Court cases

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established the doctrine of judicial review.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Established federal supremacy; Maryland couldn't tax the US Bank

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Established that freedom of speech and freedom of the press under the First Amendment could be limited only if the words in the circumstances created 'a clear and present danger.'

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Ruled that racial segregation in schools violated 14th Amendment b/c it deprived people of equal protection of the law, overturning the 'separate but equal'.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Established that school-sponsored Bible reading was government endorsement of a particular religion and violated the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

'One man one vote'; the Equal Protection clause extends to require states to redistrict such that their congressional districts give people (via their representative) roughly equal

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Established that the state had to provide attorneys to defendants charged with a non-capital felony, who could not afford to hire one on their own.

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

Established that constitutional rights to freedom of speech and expression were protected for students and teachers in a school setting (students could peacefully protest and express themselves).

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

Made it possible for newspapers to publish information that did not directly harm the US troops; established that the government cannot censor the press because the press is there to educate the people on the actions of the government.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Established that an individual's religious interests are above a state's interest in mandatory education; Amish children could not be placed under compulsory education past 8th grade.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Established that drawing districts based on race violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Limited federal power under the Commerce Clause by ruling against the Gun Free School Zones Act; 1st time in 50 years the Supreme Court limited Congress's commerce power

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

Established that the 2nd amendment right to bear arms applies to state and local governments and the laws they pass; Constrained the extent to which state and local governments can regulate firearms.

Citizens v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Ruled that corporations and unions can spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns as long as they are doing so independent of the candidate; Established that spending money in elections is a form of free speech and protected under 1st Amendment