SCOTUS Cases Notecards Summary

SCOTUS Case Notecards

For all cases, remember these four components:

  • Constitutional Clause
  • Facts of the case
  • Holding (Precedent)/Reasoning

Marbury v. Madison

  • Judicial Review
  • John Adams lost the 1800 election and appointed "midnight judges" but did not deliver the commissions.
  • Marbury requested SCOTUS to issue a Writ of Mandamus to require Madison to deliver his commission.
  • The Chief Justice struck down the Judiciary Act of 1789 that had given Original Jurisdiction to the SCOTUS.
  • Congress could NOT give the Court power beyond what is in the Constitution.

McCulloch v. Maryland

  • Necessary & Proper Clause OR Supremacy Clause
  • Maryland taxed a branch of the 2nd Bank of the US.
  • While the constitution (Article 1, Section 8) does NOT explicitly say Congress has the power to create a bank, The Necessary & Proper Clause implies it.
  • Under the Supremacy Clause, Federal laws trump state laws.

United States v. Lopez

  • Commerce Clause
  • Student Lopez was charged with carrying a gun on campus, a violation of federal law. The federal commerce clause was cited.
  • SCOTUS held that Congress cannot use commerce power to criminalize carrying a gun on campus.
  • The federal government could not show the link between guns on campus and commerce.

Shaw v. Reno

  • Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment
  • Following a census count, NC was re-apportioned and gained ONE seat in the US House of Representatives. Thru the re-districting process, NC created two majority-minority districts that were very skinny and long.
  • Congressional districts drawn SOLELY on the basis of race are a violation of the EPC of the 14th Amendment.
  • Race may be a legitimate factor but it may also have negative unintended consequences.
  • Cracking & Packing would be a negative consequence

Gideon v. Wainwright

  • 6th Amendment: The Right to Counsel, Selective Incorporation
  • Gideon was charged with breaking into a pool hall.
  • He could not afford an attorney, and Florida denied him one because it was NOT a capital crime.
  • SCOTUS incorporated the 6th Amendment into the state.
  • Defendants cannot be denied counsel under any circumstances.

Schenck v. United States

  • 1st Amendment: Free Speech/ “Clear & Present Danger” principle
  • Schenck distributed literature urging young men to defy the draft during WWI.
  • He was accused of violating the Espionage Act of 1917.
  • SCOTUS held the 1st Amendment DOES NOT protect speech that is a “clear and present danger”.
  • Congress has the right to prevent this type of speech.

Tinker v. Des Moines

  • 1st Amendment: Free Speech/ “Symbolic Speech” principle
  • Students wore black arm bands to protest the Vietnam War.
  • The students actions did not disrupt the school day.
  • SCOTUS ruled that free speech is protected under the 1st Amendment, unless it disrupts school discipline or operations.
  • Symbolic speech is protected by the 1st Amend.

McDonald v. Chicago

  • 2nd Amendment
  • Chicago prohibited the possession of handguns with strict regulations.
  • SCOTUS incorporated the 2nd Amendment and applied it to states.

Wisconsin v. Yoder

  • 1st Amendment Free Exercise Clause
  • Amish families' religious beliefs required them to stop formal education after 8th grade.
  • Their focus was on vocational training and community values.
  • SCOTUS ruled that compulsory education violated the religious practice of the Amish.
  • The Government may not enforce laws that violate the free exercise of an individuals religious practice.

Engle v. Vitale

  • 1st Amendment Establishment Clause
  • A Public School in NY recited a voluntary prayer with students at the beginning of each school day.
  • SCOTUS held that the state-sponsored prayer constituted government endorsement of religion, thus violating the Establishment Clause.
  • It did not matter that the prayer was not compulsory.

Baker v. Carr

  • 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause
  • A Tennessee resident challenged the state's legislative district boundaries, which had not been redrawn to reflect significant population shifts.
  • SCOTUS held that redistricting did not raise a political question.
  • Paved the way for the principle of "one person, one vote."

Brown v. Board of Education

  • 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause
  • African American children were required under Kansas law to attend racially segregated schools.
  • SCOTUS held that race based segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
  • Separate but equal is Unequal.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

  • 1st Amendment Free Speech
  • Citizens United (C.U.) is a conservative group.
  • C.U. challenged the BCRA on the limits it placed on corporations and other organizations and their voice to influence elections.
  • SCOTUS held the 1st Amendment Freedom of Speech applies to corporations, labor unions, etc., and the BCRA violated those rights.
  • Spending by these groups CANNOT be limited as long as there is no coordination between the candidate and campaign.

New York Times Co. vs United States

  • 1st Amendment Free Press
  • The Nixon Administration obtained a restraining order to prevent the NY Times from publishing classified information related to the Vietnam war.
  • The “Pentagon Papers” contained information that was harmful to the military and its operations.
  • SCOTUS held the 1st Amendment Freedom of Press takes precedence UNLESS the government could “meet a very high burden”.
  • NO PRIOR RESTRAINT OF the PRESS is ALLOWED.