ap gov

  1. Marbury v. Madison (1803)

    • Established the principle of judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution.

  2. McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

    • Affirmed the supremacy of federal law over state law and upheld the implied powers of Congress under the Necessary and Proper Clause.

  3. Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

    • Ruled that African Americans could not be American citizens and negated the Missouri Compromise by declaring it unconstitutional.

  4. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

    • Upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.

  5. Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

    • Declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional, effectively overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.

  6. Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

    • Held that the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of counsel is applicable to state courts through the Fourteenth Amendment.

  7. Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

    • Established Miranda rights, requiring that individuals taken into police custody be informed of their rights to an attorney and against self-incrimination.

  8. Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971)

    • Established the Lemon test for determining whether a law violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

  9. Roe v. Wade (1973)

    • Recognized a woman's legal right to have an abortion under the right to privacy established in Griswold v. Connecticut.

  10. United States v. Nixon (1974)

    • Affirmed the principle that no one, not even the President, is above the law and required Nixon to turn over tapes relevant to the Watergate scandal.

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

    • Upheld affirmative action but ruled that specific racial quotas in college admissions were unconstitutional.

  12. Texas v. Johnson (1989)

    • Held that flag burning constitutes symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment.

  13. Shelby County v. Holder (2013)

    • Invalidated key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, effectively weakening federal oversight of state voting laws.

  14. Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

    • Ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right under the equal protection clause.

  15. California v. Greenwood (1988)

    • Held that warrantless searches of trash left outside for collection are not a violation of the Fourth Amendment.