AP U.S. Gov Required SCOTUS Cases + Other Important Cases

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Background & Context
William Marbury was appointed judge but never received his commission.

Law Being Questioned

• Judiciary Act of 1789 (gave SCOTUS original jurisdiction to issue writs of mandamus)

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• Article III (Judicial power)

Decision / Outcome
Marbury deserved the commission, but the Court could not issue it.

Holding & Principle
The Judiciary Act section was unconstitutional → judicial review established.

Impact / Precedent
Established the Court’s power to invalidate laws.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Background & Context
Maryland taxed the Second Bank of the United States.

Law Being Questioned

• Maryland state tax on the national bank

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• Article I, Section 8 (Necessary and Proper Clause)

• Article VI (Supremacy Clause)

Decision / Outcome
The tax was unconstitutional.

Holding & Principle
Congress has implied powers; states cannot tax federal institutions.

Impact / Precedent
Strengthened federal supremacy.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Background & Context
A student brought a gun to school.

Law Being Questioned

• Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• Article I, Section 8 (Commerce Clause)

Decision / Outcome
The law was unconstitutional.

Holding & Principle
Gun possession near schools is not interstate commerce.

Impact / Precedent
Limited Congress’s Commerce Clause power.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Background & Context
Public schools led a voluntary prayer.

Law / Action Being Questioned

• New York State Regents’ Prayer

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• First Amendment (Establishment Clause)

Decision / Outcome
The prayer was unconstitutional.

Holding & Principle
Government-sponsored prayer violates separation of church and state.

Impact / Precedent
Banned school-sponsored prayer.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Background & Context
Amish families refused to send children to school past 8th grade.

Law Being Questioned

• Wisconsin compulsory education law

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• First Amendment (Free Exercise Clause)

Decision / Outcome
The Amish families won.

Holding & Principle
Religious freedom outweighed the state’s interest.

Impact / Precedent
Expanded religious exemptions.

New York Times v. United States (1971)

Background & Context
The government attempted to stop publication of classified documents.

Law / Action Being Questioned

• Federal injunction against publishing the Pentagon Papers

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• First Amendment (Freedom of the Press)

Decision / Outcome
The injunction was unconstitutional.

Holding & Principle
Prior restraint is almost always unconstitutional.

Impact / Precedent
Strengthened press freedom.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Background & Context
Anti-draft pamphlets were distributed during WWI.

Law Being Questioned

• Espionage Act of 1917

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• First Amendment (Free Speech Clause)

Decision / Outcome
The conviction was upheld.

Holding & Principle
Speech may be limited if it poses a clear and present danger.

Impact / Precedent
Allowed limits on speech during wartime.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Background & Context
Clarence Gideon was denied a lawyer.

Law / Action Being Questioned

• Florida law limiting court-appointed attorneys to capital cases

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• Sixth Amendment (Right to Counsel)

• Fourteenth Amendment (Due Process Clause)

Decision / Outcome
Gideon won and received a new trial.

Holding & Principle
Right to counsel is fundamental and applies to states.

Impact / Precedent
Expanded defendants’ rights nationwide.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Background & Context
Racially segregated public schools.

Law / Policy Being Questioned

• State-mandated school segregation laws

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• Fourteenth Amendment (Equal Protection Clause)

Decision / Outcome
Segregation was unconstitutional.

Holding & Principle
Separate is inherently unequal.

Impact / Precedent
Catalyst for the civil rights movement.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Background & Context
Legislative districts were unevenly populated.

Law / Practice Being Questioned

• Tennessee’s failure to redraw districts

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• Fourteenth Amendment (Equal Protection Clause)

Decision / Outcome
The case was justiciable.

Holding & Principle
Courts can hear redistricting cases.

Impact / Precedent
Established one person, one vote.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Background & Context
Congressional districts were drawn primarily by race.

Law / Action Being Questioned

• North Carolina redistricting plan

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• Fourteenth Amendment (Equal Protection Clause)

Decision / Outcome
The districts were unconstitutional.

Holding & Principle
Race cannot be the predominant factor.

Impact / Precedent
Limited racial gerrymandering.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Background & Context
Students protested Vietnam War by wearing armbands.

Law / Action Being Questioned

• School suspension policy

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• First Amendment (Free Speech Clause)

Decision / Outcome
The students won.

Holding & Principle
Student speech is protected unless disruptive.

Impact / Precedent
Expanded student rights.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Background & Context
A suspect confessed without being informed of his rights.

Law / Practice Being Questioned

• Police interrogation procedures

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• Fifth Amendment (Self-Incrimination Clause)

Decision / Outcome
The confession was inadmissible.

Holding & Principle
Suspects must be informed of their rights.

Impact / Precedent
Created Miranda warnings.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Background & Context
Texas banned most abortions.

Law Being Questioned

• Texas abortion statute

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• Fourteenth Amendment (Due Process — right to privacy)

Decision / Outcome
The law was unconstitutional.

Holding & Principle
Abortion was protected under substantive due process (later overturned).

Impact / Precedent
Defined abortion rights for decades.

Dobbs v. Jackson (2022)

Background & Context
Mississippi banned abortions after 15 weeks.

Law Being Questioned

• Mississippi Gestational Age Act

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• Fourteenth Amendment (Substantive Due Process)

Decision / Outcome
The law was upheld.

Holding & Principle
Overturned Roe; abortion is not constitutionally protected.

Impact / Precedent
Returned abortion regulation to states.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Background & Context
A nonprofit sought to air a political documentary close to an election.

Law Being Questioned

• Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain–Feingold Act)

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• First Amendment (Free Speech Clause)

Core Issue
Can the government limit independent political spending by corporations and unions?

Decision / Outcome
The spending limits were struck down.

Holding & Principle
Independent political expenditures are protected speech.

Impact / Precedent
Expanded campaign spending rights; led to Super PACs.

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

Background & Context
Chicago enforced a strict handgun ban.

Law Being Questioned

• Chicago handgun ban ordinance

Constitutional Aspect Questioned

• Second Amendment

• Fourteenth Amendment (Due Process — incorporation)

Core Issue
Does the Second Amendment apply to the states?

Decision / Outcome
The handgun ban was struck down.

Holding & Principle
The Second Amendment is incorporated to the states.

Impact / Precedent
Expanded gun rights and strengthened selective incorporation.