AP Gov SCOTUS Cases

Marbury V. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review with supreme court ability to declare constitutionality of laws

McCulloch V. Maryland (1819)

Congress has power to build a federal bank and states could not tax it under necessary and proper clause.

Schenck V. United States

Speech that presents a clear and present danger is not protected by the first amendment. Distributing anti draft pamphlets falls under a clear and present danger.

Brown V. Board of Education

Under 14th amendment equal protection clause, separate but equal is not considered equality in education, forced desegregation of schools

Baker V. Carr

Tennessee Gerymandering so rural districts with smaller population got a larger vote. This case established the principle of "one person, one vote," allowing federal courts to intervene in state redistricting issues.

Engel V. Vitale

Mandatory prayer in school unconstitutional, against government endorsed religion in first amendment.

Gideon V Wainwright

Right to an attorney, courts must provide legal counsel to defendants at both state and federal level, sixth amendment guarantees legal counsel.

Tinker V. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)

Students allowed to wear black armbands in protest of the vietnam war, freedom of speech first amendment protected on school grounds given it does not disrupt the learning environment.

New York Times Co. V. United States (1971)

Federal government prohibited from using prior restraint to restrict press from publishing the pentagon papers bolstering the first amendment.

Wisconsin V. Yoder

Forcing Amish children to attend high school went against religious beliefs and therefore violated the first amendment protections for religion.

Shaw V. Reno

Gerrymandering in favor of fixing racial inequality was still gerrymandering based solely on race and was therefore declared unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause, therefore higher scrutiny is required for such an action.

United States V. Lopez

Lopez brought a gun to school. Congress exceeded its power when restricting guns on school grounds under the commerce clause and was declared unconstitutional.

McDonald V. Chicago (2010)

Chicago’s Handgun ban was challenged in court and the courts ruled that a ban on handguns was a obstruction of the right to bear arms second amendment. This right applies to state courts because of the fourteenth amendment due process clause.

Citizens United V. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Court struck down campaign finance restrictions on companies considering it the company’s free speech under the first Amendment.