Supreme Court Cases Flashcards (VOCABULARY style)

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering major U.S. Supreme Court cases from the notes, with each card listing the case and a concise definition of its key holding.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review; gave the Supreme Court power to declare laws or executive actions unconstitutional.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Affirmed federal supremacy and implied powers; Congress can create a national bank under the Necessary and Proper Clause, and states cannot tax it.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Held that Congress regulates interstate commerce; federal authority overrides conflicting state laws in interstate trade.

Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)

Ruled that slaves were not citizens and were property; questioned the constitutionality of the Missouri Compromise as applied.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Upheld 'separate but equal' facilities; allowed racial segregation as long as facilities were equal.

Gitlow v. New York (1925)

Implemented incorporation of First Amendment rights to the states via the 14th Amendment; allowed limits on speech if it endangers public safety.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Established the 'clear and present danger' test to restrict speech during wartime.

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

Upheld the wartime relocation of Japanese Americans as a military necessity during WWII.

Brown v. Board of Education I (1954)

Desegregated public schools; ruled 'separate is inherently unequal' under the 14th Amendment.

Brown v. Board of Education II (1955)

Directed desegregation to proceed with all deliberate speed.

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Extended the exclusionary rule to the states; unlawfully obtained evidence is inadmissible.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Established 'one person, one vote'; federal courts can hear cases on legislative district apportionment under Equal Protection.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Held school-sponsored prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Recognized a right to privacy in marital relations; struck down laws banning contraception.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Guaranteed the right to counsel; states must provide an attorney for defendants who cannot afford one.

New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)

Public officials must prove actual malice to win defamation cases; strong First Amendment protections for the press.

Loving v. Virginia (1967)

Struck down antimiscegenation laws; ruled marriage is a fundamental right under the Equal Protection Clause.

United States v. O’Brien (1968)

Established the O’Brien test to determine when restricting symbolic speech is constitutional.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Required police to inform suspects of their rights (Miranda rights) before interrogation.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Protected students’ symbolic speech (armbands) in schools unless it caused disruption.

Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971)

Created the Lemon test for Establishment Clause; state funding of religious schools must avoid excessive government entanglement with religion.

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

Prior restraint on publication is unconstitutional unless the publication would cause grave harm.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Extended the right to privacy to a woman's decision to have an abortion, under the 14th Amendment.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Free exercise of religion outweighed state interest in school attendance for Amish families.

United States v. Nixon (1974)

Presidential privilege is not absolute; presidents must comply with subpoenas and disclose evidence in investigations.

Gregg v. Georgia (1976)

Upheld the constitutionality of the death penalty under guided by constitutional standards.

Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

Limited certain campaign spending while recognizing spending as a form of political speech; personal spending allowed within limits.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

Race can be considered in admissions as one factor, but quotas are unconstitutional; affirmative action can be constitutional under strict scrutiny.

Texas v. Johnson (1989)

Flag burning is protected as symbolic speech under the First Amendment.

Lemon v. Kurtzman (duplicate)

(redundant; see above)

Bush v. Gore (2000)

Stopped the Florida recount; addressed equal protection concerns and effectively decided the presidential election.

Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)

Affirmative action in higher education can be constitutional if it serves a compelling interest and is narrowly tailored.

Roper v. Simmons (2005)

Forbidden the death penalty for crimes committed by juveniles; courts cannot impose capital punishment on minors.

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Corporations and unions may spend unlimited funds on independent political broadcasts; protected as free speech.

McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010)

Second Amendment applies to the states via incorporation; individuals have the right to bear arms at the state level.

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

Legalized same-sex marriage nationwide under the Fourteenth Amendment.