AP Gov SCOTUS Cases to know

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review; gave the Supreme Court power to declare laws unconstitutional.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Congress has implied powers; federal law is supreme over state law. Maryland could not tax the federal bank.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Limited Congress's power under the Commerce Clause; guns in school zones are not interstate commerce.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

State-sponsored prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause; reinforced separation of church and state.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Compulsory school attendance law violated Amish families' Free Exercise rights; religious freedom outweighed state interest.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Students wearing armbands is protected symbolic speech; students have First Amendment rights in school.

New York Times v. U.S. (1971)

Government could not censor the Pentagon Papers; prior restraint violates freedom of the press.

Schenck v. U.S. (1919)

Speech can be restricted if it presents a "clear and present danger"; upheld Espionage Act during wartime.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

States must provide attorneys to defendants who can’t afford one; incorporated 6th Amendment right to counsel.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Legalized abortion before fetal viability based on the right to privacy under the 14th Amendment.

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

Incorporated the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms to the states through the 14th Amendment.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Segregation in public schools is unconstitutional; overturned "separate but equal" from Plessy v. Ferguson.

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Corporations and unions can spend unlimited money on political speech; protected under the First Amendment.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Allowed federal courts to intervene in redistricting; established "one person, one vote" principle.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional; race can’t be the predominant factor in redistricting.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Legalized segregation under “separate but equal”; upheld racial segregation laws until 1954.

Gratz v. Bollinger (2003)

Struck down University of Michigan’s point-based affirmative action; too mechanical use of race in admissions.

California v. Bakke (1978)

Quotas are unconstitutional, but race can be one of many factors in admissions decisions.

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

Legalized same-sex marriage nationwide; based on Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses.

Bush v. Gore (2000)

Stopped Florida recount; ruled it violated Equal Protection Clause; effectively decided the 2000 presidential election.