AP Gov Court Cases

Marbury v Madison (1803)

Established the principle of judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.

McCulloch v Maryland (1819)

Affirmed the supremacy of federal over state law and upheld the constitutionality of the Bank of the United States.

Gibbons v Ogden (1824)

Strengthened the federal government’s power to regulate interstate commerce.

Dred Scott v Sanford (1857)

Ruled that African American slaves could not be considered citizens and intensified national tensions over slavery.

Plessy v Ferguson (1896)

Upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Schenck v United States (1919)

Ruled that speech presenting a 'clear and present danger' is not protected under the First Amendment.

Gitlow v New York (1925)

Established that the First Amendment's protections of free speech apply to state governments via the Fourteenth Amendment.

Korematsu v United States (1944)

Upheld the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II as a wartime necessity.

Brown v Board of Education 1 (1954)

Declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Brown v Board of Education 2 (1955)

Ordered the desegregation of public schools to occur 'with all deliberate speed'.

Mapp v Ohio (1961)

Established the exclusionary rule, prohibiting the use of illegally obtained evidence in state courts.

Baker v Carr (1961)

Addressed legislative apportionment and established 'one person, one vote' principle.

Engel v Vitale (1962)

Held that government-sponsored prayer in public schools violated the Establishment Clause.

Gideon v Wainwright (1963)

Guaranteed the right to counsel for defendants in criminal cases who cannot afford an attorney.

New York Times Co. v Sullivan (1964)

Established the actual malice standard for public officials to prove libel claims.

Griswold v Connecticut (1965)

Recognized the right to marital privacy, striking down laws prohibiting contraceptives.

Miranda v Arizona (1966)

Established the requirement that individuals taken into custody must be informed of their rights.

Loving v Virginia (1967)

Invalidated laws banning interracial marriage, affirming the right to marry.

United States v O’Brien (1968)

Upheld the prohibition against burning draft cards as a form of symbolic speech.

Tinker v Des Moines (1969)

Affirmed students' right to express themselves in public schools.

Lemon v Kurtzman (1971)

Established the 'Lemon Test' for laws related to the Establishment Clause. The 'Lemon Test' determines if a law violates the separation of church and state by evaluating its purpose, effect, and entanglement with religion.

New York Times Co. v United States (1971)

Held that the government cannot impose prior restraint on the press.

Wisconsin v Yoder (1972)

Held that the state cannot compel Amish children to attend school past eighth grade.

Roe v Wade (1973)

Recognized a woman's legal right to have an abortion under the right to privacy.

United States v Nixon (1974)

Affirmed that no one, not even the President, is above the law.

Gregg v Georgia (1976)

Upheld the constitutionality of the death penalty under certain circumstances.

Buckley v Valeo (1976)

Established that political spending is a form of protected free speech.

Regents of the University of California v Bakke (1978)

Ruling on affirmative action in education, stating that race could be a factor in admissions processes.

Texas v Johnson (1989)

Held that flag burning is protected speech under the First Amendment.

Lee v Weisman (1992)

Determined that school-sponsored prayer at graduation ceremonies violates the Establishment Clause.

Shaw v Reno (1993)

Challenged racial gerrymandering, emphasizing the need for strict scrutiny standards.

United States v Lopez (1995)

Senate rulling that banned firearms in school zones exceeded Congress's authority.

Bush v Gore (2000)

Resolved the 2000 presidential election dispute and underscored the judiciary's role.

Grutter v Bollinger (2003)

Upheld affirmative action in admissions at the University of Michigan Law School.

Roper v Simmons (2005)

Held executing juveniles constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

Citizens United v Federal Election Commission (2010)

Established that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts cannot be limited.

McDonald v Chicago (2010)

Ruled that the Second Amendment right to bear arms applies to states.

Obergefell v Hodges (2015)

Ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right under the Fourteenth Amendment.