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You got it! Here are those cases with a bit more detail for your flashcards:

Card 1

  • Front: Marbury v. Madison (1803)

  • Back: Established the principle of judicial review, giving the Supreme Court the power to declare laws unconstitutional. This stemmed from a dispute over William Marbury's appointment as a justice of the peace.

Card 2

  • Front: McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

  • Back: Confirmed the supremacy of the federal government over state governments and upheld the implied powers of Congress under the Necessary and Proper Clause. This arose from Maryland's attempt to tax the Second Bank of the United States.

Card 3

  • Front: Schenck v. United States (1919)

  • Back: Established the "clear and present danger" test for limiting free speech, allowing the government to restrict speech that poses a threat to national security. This involved Charles Schenck's distribution of leaflets urging resistance to the draft during World War I.

Card 4

  • Front: Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

  • Back: Declared state-sponsored segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine from Plessy v. Ferguson. This landmark case was a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement.

Card 5

  • Front: Baker v. Carr (1961)

  • Back: Established "one person, one vote" principle for electoral districts, requiring that districts be roughly equal in population to ensure fair representation. This case dealt with redistricting in Tennessee.

Card 6

  • Front: Engel v. Vitale (1962)

  • Back: Prohibited state-sponsored prayer in public schools, upholding the separation of church and state. This involved a New York law authorizing a short, voluntary prayer for recitation at the start of each school day.

Card 7

  • Front: Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

  • Back: Guaranteed the right to an attorney for indigent defendants in felony cases, ensuring that those who cannot afford a lawyer will have one provided. Clarence Earl Gideon was charged with a felony in Florida and denied an attorney.

Card 8

  • Front: Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

  • Back: Upheld students' right to symbolic speech in schools, as long as it does not disrupt the learning environment. This case involved students wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War.

Card 9

  • Front: New York Times v. United States (1971)

  • Back: Limited prior restraint, protecting freedom of the press. This case, also known as the Pentagon Papers case, involved the government's attempt to prevent the publication of classified documents about the Vietnam War.

Card 10

  • Front: Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

  • Back: Protected Amish families' right to religious freedom, allowing them to withdraw their children from public school after eighth grade. This case addressed the conflict between compulsory education laws and Amish religious beliefs.

Card 11

  • Front: Shaw v. Reno (1993)

  • Back: Ruled against racial gerrymandering, even for creating majority-minority districts, if race is the predominant factor in drawing district lines. This case involved oddly shaped districts in North Carolina.

Card 12

  • Front: United States v. Lopez (1995)

  • Back: Limited Congress's power under the Commerce Clause, striking down the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. This case addressed the balance of power between the federal government and states.

Card 13

  • Front: McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

  • Back: Incorporated the Second Amendment right to bear arms against the states, meaning that states cannot infringe on this right. This case challenged Chicago's handgun ban.

Card 14

  • Front: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

  • Back: Allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited money on political advertising, equating their spending with free speech. This controversial decision has had a major impact on campaign finance.