Constitutional Law Lecture Notes

Flashcards based on lecture notes about Constitutional Law, covering topics like the Just Compensation Clause, Due Process Clause, Equal Protections Clause, and landmark Supreme Court cases.

What is the Just Compensation Clause (5th Amendment)?

Prohibits the government from taking private property for public use without fair compensation.

In what case was the Just Compensation Clause first introduced?

Barron v. Baltimore (1833)

What is the Due Process Clause?

The government cannot deprive people of their fundamental rights.

What is the difference between the 5th and 14th Amendment Due Process Clauses?

The 5th Amendment applies to the federal government, while the 14th Amendment applies to the states.

What is the Procedural Due Process Clause?

Requires the government to follow fair procedures before depriving someone of life, liberty, or property.

What is the Substantive Due Process Clause?

Protects certain fundamental rights from government interference, even if it follows all the right procedures.

List some examples of rights protected by the Substantive Due Process Clause.

Right to privacy, marry, abortion, contraception, etc.

What does the Equal Protections Clause (14th Amendment) state?

No State shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

What are the standards for reviewing laws under the Equal Protections Clause?

Strict Scrutiny, Intermediate Scrutiny, and Rational Basis Review

What does the Economic Substantive Due Process (14th Amendment) protect?

Protects economic rights from government interference, such as freedom of contract.

What is the Privileges and Immunities Clause?

Prohibits states from discriminating against citizens of other states.

What case established that the Bill of Rights only applied to the federal government?

Barron v. Baltimore (1833)

What is Total Incorporation?

All provisions of the Bill of Rights should automatically apply to the states via the 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause.

Who were advocates of Total Incorporation?

Justices Hugo Black & Justice Marshall

What is Selective Incorporation?

Only fundamental rights in the Bill of Rights are incorporated, on a case-by-case basis, due to the Due Process Clause.

What case established The Separate but Equal Doctrine?

Plessy v. Ferguson established this.

What is the summary of Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)?

Dred Scott was a slave who sued for his freedom, arguing that because he had lived in free territories he should be free.

What was the ruling in Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)?

The court ruled that Scott had no right to sue in federal court.

What is the summary of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?

Homer Plessy, who was 1/8 black, challenged Louisiana’s Separate Car Act by sitting in a whites-only train car.

What was the ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?

The Court upheld the law 7-1, ruling segregation constitutional if facilities were separate but equal.

What was the significance of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?

Established the legal basis for racial segregation and Jim Crow Laws.

What is the summary of the Slaughterhouse Cases (1873)?

Louisiana granted a monopoly to a slaughterhouse company, and various butchers sued.

What was the ruling in the Slaughterhouse Cases (1873)?

The Court ruled that the 14th Amendment Privileges and Immunities Clause protected only a narrow set of federal rights, not state rights.

What is the summary of City of Chicago v. McDonald (2010)?

Otis McDonald challenged Chicago’s handgun ban, arguing it violated his Second Amendment right to bear arms.

What was the ruling in City of Chicago v. McDonald (2010)?

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of McDonald, incorporating the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms against state and local governments.

What is the summary of Allgeyer v. Louisiana (1897)?

Allgeyer was fined for contracting with an out-of-state insurance company, which violated Louisiana law.

What was the ruling in Allgeyer v. Louisiana (1897)?

The Court ruled in favor of Allgeyer, stating the law violated the liberty protected by the Due Process Clause.

What is the summary of Lochner v. New York (1905)?

A bakery owner was fined for violating a NY law that limited workers to 60 hours a week.

What was the ruling in Lochner v. New York (1905)?

The Court struck down the NY law because it interfered with the freedom of contract protected by the Due Process Clause.

What is the summary of Adkins v. Children’s Hospital (1923)?

Women employees challenged a minimum wage law for women in DC, claiming it violated the liberty of contract.

What was the ruling in Adkins v. Children’s Hospital (1923)?

The Court invalidated the law, holding it interfered with freedom to contract.

What is the summary of BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore (1996)?

BMW was ordered to pay punitive damages for failing to disclose vehicle damage and challenged the amount as excessive.

What was the ruling in BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore (1996)?

The Court ruled in favor of BMW, stating the punitive damages were excessive and violated due process.

What is the summary of State Farm v. Campbell (2003)?

State Farm was ordered to pay large punitive damages after allegedly acting in bad faith in an insurance claim.

What was the ruling in State Farm v. Campbell (2003)?

The Court limited the punitive damages awarded as excessive under the Due Process Clause.

What is the summary of Korematsu v. United States (1944)?

Fred Korematsu refused to comply with the Japanese internment order during WWII and was arrested.

What was the ruling in Korematsu v. United States (1944)?

The Court upheld the internment as a wartime necessity despite strict scrutiny.

What is the summary of Brown v. Board of Education (1954)?

African American students challenged racial segregation in public schools.

What was the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954)?

The Court struck down school segregation, overturning 'separate but equal'.

What is the summary of Loving v. Virginia (1967)?

Interracial couple Richard and Mildred Loving were convicted under Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws.

What was the ruling in Loving v. Virginia (1967)?

The Court struck down the laws as unconstitutional.

What is Strict Scrutiny?

Applies to immutable characteristics (race, national origin) and requires a compelling state interest. Used in fundamental rights analysis.

What is used in intermediate review?

Law must serve an important government purpose and applies to gender-based classifications.

What review is used in rational basis review?

Law must serve a rational interest and generally applies to classifications based on wealth, age, national security, or health.

How are fundamental rights identified?

Is the right explicitly mentioned in the Constitution? Is it deeply rooted in historical tradition? Is it central to human dignity and autonomy? Is it essential for participation in the democratic process?

What are the categories of fundamental rights recognized by courts?

Privacy and autonomy rights, political rights, First Amendment rights, and travel rights.