Civic Literacy Workshop Number Two — 22 Landmark Supreme Court Cases (Vocabulary Flashcards)

  • Overall approach to the 22 cases:

    • The Supreme Court is one of three branches; it rules on constitutional questions, including amendments

    • The slides align cases by the amendments and concepts they address; expect an end-of-session review by amendment and concept

  • Quick orientation to the 22 cases (order and grouping mirror the transcript):

    • Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) – status and citizenship; Missouri Compromise context

    • Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) – 14th Amendment; egalitarianism; separate but equal doctrine

    • Brown v. Board of Education (1954) – overturned Plessy; desegregation; 14th Amendment equal protection

    • Regents of the Univ. of California v. Bakke (1978) – race in admissions; quota prohibition; race as a factor allowed

    • Bush v. Gore (2000) – 14th Amendment equal protection; uniform standards for counting votes; recount halted

    • Citizens United v. FEC (2010) – First Amendment; political spending as free speech; campaign finance protections

    • Engel v. Vitale (1962) – First Amendment; school-initiated prayer violates establishment/freedom of religion; non-denominational prayer struck down

    • West Virginia Bd. of Ed. v. Barnette (1943) – Jehovah’s Witnesses; compelled patriotic exercise violated free speech/expressive rights

    • Texas v. Johnson (1989) – symbolic speech; flag burning protected

    • Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) – student symbolic speech (black armbands) protected; schoolCannot suppress

    • Hazelwood School Dist. v. Kuhlmeier (1988) – school censorship power; pedagogical concerns can justify limiting student press

    • Heller v. District of Columbia (2008) – Second Amendment; individual right to possess firearms; reasonable regulations allowed

    • Mapp v. Ohio (1961) – Fourth Amendment; exclusionary rule; illegally obtained evidence excluded

    • New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985) – Fourth Amendment; school searches of students; lower standard of reasonableness; more lenient than in general

    • Miranda v. Arizona (1966) – Fifth and Sixth Amendments; Miranda rights required when police interrogate

    • Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) – Sixth Amendment; right to counsel for those who cannot afford an attorney; birth of public defenders

    • Roe v. Wade (1973) – abortion rights; first-trimester protections; federal reach on abortion legality

    • Korematsu v. United States (1944) – wartime internment; national security over individual rights (historic controversy; cautions for modern contexts)

    • Marbury v. Madison (1803) – supremacy of the Constitution; judicial review established; supremacy clause

    • Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) – Commerce Clause; federal power over interstate trade; boats imagery (Ogden vs. Gibbons)

    • McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) – implied powers; national bank; federal supremacy over state taxation

    • United States v. Nixon (1974) – no one is above the law; executive privilege not absolute; tapes must be produced

  • How to remember key points (memory aids used in the session):

    • Dred Scott: 13th Amendment context; not a citizen; treated as property; pre-Civil War

    • Plessy/Brown: 14th Amendment; equality under law; desegregation trigger

    • Bakke: race as factor, not quotas; equal protection in admissions

    • Engel/Barnette: prayer and religious expression in schools; protection of religious freedom

    • Johnson/Tinker: symbolic/free speech rights in school

    • Hazelwood: limits on student press in school settings

    • Heller: gun rights with regulatory boundaries

    • Mapp/T.L.O.: search and privacy boundaries; school vs. general population

    • Miranda/Gideon: rights of the accused

    • Roe/Korematsu/Marbury/Gibbons/McCulloch/Nixon: core constitutional principles and checks on powers

  • Practice quiz (16 questions) and review of answers

    • Q1: Establishes judicial review — A: Marbury v. Madison

    • Q2: Ends segregation in public schools — A: Brown v. Board of Education

    • Q3: Free speech in schools (anti-war protest) — A: Tinker v. Des Moines

    • Q4: Rights when arrested (due process) — A: Miranda v. Arizona

    • Q5: Abortion rights (first trimester) — A: Roe v. Wade

    • Q6: Separate but equal doctrine overturned by Brown — A: Plessy v. Ferguson (overturned by Brown v. Board)

    • Q7: Flag burning protected speech — A: Texas v. Johnson

    • Q8: School prayer violates First Amendment — A: Engel v. Vitale

    • Q9: Reasonable suspicion vs. warrant for student search — A: New Jersey v. T.L.O.

    • Q10: Quotas in affirmative action/hiring — A: Regents of Univ. of California v. Bakke

    • Q11: Internment during World War II — A: Korematsu v. United States

    • Q12: Slaves as property; Missouri Compromise nullified — A: Dred Scott v. Sanford

    • Q13: Student protest by armbands — A: Tinker v. Des Moines

    • Q14: Nixon’s accountability — A: No one is above the law (rule of law)

    • Q15: Public defenders mandated — A: Gideon v. Wainwright

    • Q16: Exclusion of illegally obtained evidence — A: Mapp v. Ohio

  • Test-taking tips for these questions:

    • Often asked: "Which amendment did this case deal with?" For example:

    • Mapp v. Ohio → Fourth Amendment (unlawful searches/exclusionary rule)

    • Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier → First Amendment (freedom of the press in schools)

    • Tinker v. Des Moines → First Amendment (free speech in schools)

    • Other prompts may ask you to link a case to a concept or amendment based on a brief description

    • Use process of elimination for cases not covered in this workshop (e.g., Morse v. Frederick) if not discussed; unlikely to be correct in questions

  • Appendix for quick lookup (memory anchors):

    • Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) – not a citizen; property; Missouri Compromise invalid

    • Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) – separate but equal; 14th Amendment

    • Brown v. Board of Education (1954) – desegregation; overturns Plessy

    • Bakke (1978) – race as factor; no strict quotas

    • Bush v. Gore (2000) – recount standards; equal protection

    • Citizens United (2010) – campaign finance; free speech

    • Engel / Barnette (1962, 1943) – prayer and pledge freedom from compulsory actions

    • Johnson / Tinker (1989, 1969) – symbolic speech; school rights

    • Hazelwood (1988) – school censorship

    • Heller (2008) – gun ownership rights with regulatory limits

    • Mapp / T.L.O. (1961, 1985) – exclusionary rule; school search

    • Miranda / Gideon (1966, 1963) – right to silence and counsel

    • Roe (1973) – abortion rights (first trimester)

    • Korematsu (1944) – internment (highly controversial; context matters)

    • Marbury (1803) – judicial review; supremacy of Constitution

    • Gibbons (1824) – interstate commerce power

    • McCulloch (1819) – implied powers; supremacy of national bank

    • Nixon (1974) – rule of law; no one is above the law