AP Gov Unit 2 Court Cases/Documents

Federalist #10 (Madison)

• Factions are inevitable, but a large republic can control their effects

• A representative democracy prevents any single faction from dominating

Federalist #51 (Madison)

• Government needs checks and balances and separation of powers to prevent tyranny

• “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition”

Federalist #70 (Hamilton)

Advocates for a single, energetic executive to ensure accountability, efficiency, and good government

Federalist #78 (Hamilton)

• Explains judicial review and argues that the judiciary is the “least dangerous” branch

• Stresses the importance of life tenure for judicial independence

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

established judicial review, giving the Supreme Court the power to declare laws unconstitutional

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

• Confirmed implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause

• States cannot tax the national government (“the power to tax involves the power to destroy”)

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Declared school segregation unconstitutional because “separate is inherently unequal”

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Made malapportionment a justiciable issue, establishing the “one person, one vote” principle

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

The government cannot block publication of the Pentagon Papers; established a strong standard against prior restraint

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Racially gerrymandered districts are subject to strict scrutiny because race cannot be the predominant factor in drawing districts

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Limited Congress’s Commerce Clause power; carrying guns in school zones is not economic activity

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

• Corporations and unions have First Amendment rights to spend unlimited money on independent political ads

• Led to the rise of Super PACs