Master Constitutional Law Exam Outline & Midterm Review Guide

Justiciability

The suitability of a case for adjudication in a court based on its compliance with judicial standards.

Standing

The legal right to initiate a lawsuit, requiring a party to demonstrate sufficient connection to and harm from the law or action challenged.

Injury-in-Fact

A concrete and particularized harm that is actual or imminent.

Causation

The requirement that the injury must be fairly traceable to the defendant’s conduct.

Redressability

The likelihood that a favorable court decision will remedy the injury.

Ripeness

A determination of whether a dispute has matured into a concrete, live controversy before an injury occurs.

Mootness

A criterion used to dismiss cases that no longer present an actual controversy.

Political Question Doctrine

A principle stating that certain issues are not suitable for judicial resolution because they are reserved for other branches of government.

Commerce Clause

The constitutional provision granting Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states.

Necessary and Proper Clause

The clause that allows Congress to pass laws deemed necessary to execute its enumerated powers.

Anti-Commandeering Doctrine

The principle that prohibits Congress from commanding state legislatures to enact specific laws.

Conditional Spending Coercion

The limits on Congress's ability to influence state policy by attaching conditions to federal funding.

Supremacy Clause

The constitutional mandate that federal law takes precedence over state law.

Federal Preemption

The invalidation of a state law that conflicts with federal law.

Dormant Commerce Clause

The implied restriction on states' powers to legislate in a manner that discriminates against or unduly burdens interstate commerce.

Judicial Review

The authority of courts to determine the constitutionality of legislative and executive actions.

Originalism

A theory of constitutional interpretation that focuses on the meaning of the text at the time it was enacted.

Textualism

A method of statutory interpretation that emphasizes the ordinary meaning of the legal text.

Living Constitutionalism

The view that the Constitution's meaning can evolve over time to address contemporary societal issues.

Structuralism

An approach to interpret the Constitution based on its underlying architecture and values.

Marbury v. Madison

The landmark case establishing the principle of judicial review.

Martin v. Hunter's Lessee

The case that affirmed the Supreme Court's authority to review state court decisions involving federal issues.

Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife

The case that defined the three elements required for standing in federal court.

Abbott Laboratories

The case that established the two-prong test for ripeness: fitness of the issues and hardship to the parties.

Baker v. Carr

The case that presented the political question doctrine and affirmed the justiciability of legislative malapportionment.

Lopez 3-Prong Test

A standard for evaluating congressional authority under the Commerce Clause: Channels, Instrumentalities, and Substantial Effects.

Dole Test

A five-part test for assessing the validity of conditional federal spending.

McCulloch v. Maryland

The case that affirmed Congress's implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause.

Youngstown 3-Tier Framework

A framework for analyzing presidential actions based on congressional authorization, silence, or opposition.

NFIB v. Sebelius

The case that ruled on the limits of Congress's power under the Commerce Clause and conditional spending.

Trump v. Hawaii

The case that upheld broad executive power over immigration and national security.

Nixon v. United States

The case that held impeachment procedures to be a non-justiciable political question.

Hunt v. Washington State Apple Advertising Commission

The case establishing organizational standing for associations to sue on behalf of their members.

Frothingham v. Mellon

The case that established the general rule against taxpayer standing.

Flast v. Cohen

An exception allowing taxpayer standing in certain situations involving governmental expenditure.

PG&E v. State Energy Commission

The case that established standards for determining conflict preemption.

Pike v. Bruce Church

The case defining the Pike balancing test for evaluating facially neutral laws that affect interstate commerce.

Curtiss-Wright

The case that significantly broadened the scope of presidential powers in foreign affairs.

Seila Law LLC v. CFPB

The case that restricted for-cause removal protections for directors of single-headed executive agencies.

Trump v. United States (2024)

A case regarding presidential immunity relating to official acts and conduct before taking office.

Dames & Moore v. Regan

The case affirming the validity of executive agreements overriding state laws.

Arizona v. United States

The case illustrating the concept of implied field preemption in immigration law.

Rucho v. Common Cause

The case ruling partisan gerrymandering claims are non-justiciable.

NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp.

The case affirming the broad expansion of congressional authority under the Commerce Clause during the New Deal era.

Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States

The case validating the application of the Commerce Clause to civil rights legislation.

Gibbons v. Ogden

The case defining commerce as navigation and commercial intercourse among the states.

Wickard v. Filburn

The case establishing the aggregation principle under the Commerce Clause.

Martin v. Hunter's Lessee

The case that established the authority of the Supreme Court to review state court decisions.

Allen v. Wright

The case that clarified the requirement of causation for standing.

Steel Co. v. Citizens for a Better Environment

The case emphasizing the demand for a likelihood of redressability in standing.