government exam 2 land mark cases

Barron v. Baltimore (1833)

Ruled that the Bill of Rights applies only to the federal government, not the states.

Gitlow v. New York (1925):

Began selective incorporation by applying free speech protection to the states through the 14th Amendment.

Engel v. Vitale

Ruled that school-led prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause

Lemon v. Kurtzman

Established the Lemon test to prevent excessive government involvement with religion.

Schenck v. U.S

Ruled that speech creating a “clear and present danger” is not protected by the First Amendment.

New York Times Co. v. U.S.

Protected freedom of the press by ruling the government couldn’t block publication of the Pentagon Papers.

Mapp v. Ohio

Applied the exclusionary rule to states—illegally obtained evidence can’t be used in court.

Gideon v. Wainwright

Guaranteed the right to a lawyer for defendants in state courts.

Miranda v. Arizona

Required police to inform suspects of their rights before questioning (Miranda rights).

Roe v. Wade

Recognized a woman’s right to choose an abortion under the right to privacy.

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health

Overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing states to regulate or ban abortion.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Ruled that African Americans were not U.S. citizens and had no right to sue in federal court.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Allowed racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.

Brown v. Board of Education

Declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Reed v. Reed

Ruled that laws cannot discriminate based on gender, violating the Equal Protection Clause.

Regents of the Univ. of California v. Bakke

Allowed race to be considered in college admissions but banned strict racial quotas.

Gratz v. Bollinger

Struck down the University of Michigan’s undergraduate admissions policy for using a points system that gave automatic advantage to minority applicants.

Grutter v. Bollinger

Upheld the University of Michigan Law School’s use of race as one factor in admissions to promote diversity.

Obergefell v. Hodges

Guaranteed the right to same-sex marriage nationwide.