AP Government - Required SCOTUS Cases

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Maryland was trying to tax the national bank and Supreme Court ruled that federal law was stronger than the state law (result/significance: Supremacy of the National Government &Congress has the IMPLIED power to create a bank)

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Congress may NOT use the commerce clause to make possession of a gun in a school zone a federal crime. Devolved some lawmaking power back to the states.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Struck down state-sponsored prayer in public schools. Ruled that the Regents' prayer was an unconstitutional violation of the ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Amish people refused to send their children to school past the 8th grade when the state required public schooling for all children until age 16. Significance/ Result: This law is in conflict with the FREE EXERCISE CLAUSE. The statute is in direct conflict with Amish beliefs (and their beliefs were > state interest).

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Guaranteed a student's FIRST AMENDMENT right to non-disruptive protest (armbands).

New York Times v. United States (1971)

Supreme Court case protecting the FREEDOM OF THE PRESS by allowing the New York Times to publish the "Pentagon Papers" despite the Justice Department's order to restrict it.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Oliver Wendell Holmes; clear and present danger test; shouting "fire" in a crowded theater; limits on speech, esp. in wartime.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that a defendant in a felony trial must be provided a lawyer free of charge if the defendant cannot afford one.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

The court legalized abortion by ruling that state laws could not restrict it during the first three months of pregnancy. Based (but not enumerated) on 4th Amendment. Right to Privacy

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

The right of an individual to "keep and bear arms" protected by the 2nd Amendment is incorporated by the due process clause of the 14th Amendment and applies to the states.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated.

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Corporations have a 1st Amendment right to expressly support political candidates for Congress and the White House

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Established the principle of "one man, one vote" and made such patterns of representation illegal. The Court asserted that the federal courts had the right to tell states to reapportion their districts for more equal representation.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

No racial gerrymandering; race cannot be the sole or predominant factor in redrawing legislative boundaries; majority-minority districts.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review; "midnight judges;" John Marshall; power of the Supreme Court.