AP Government SCOTUS Case Notes

AP Government SCOTUS Case Database

• Purpose: Essential cases for the AP Government exam; key understanding for the Free Response Question (FRQ).

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

• Ruling: 4-0 for Marbury
• Topic: Judicial Review
• Importance: Established the principle of judicial review, enabling courts to strike down unconstitutional laws and executive actions.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

• Ruling: 6-0 for McCulloch
• Topics: Federalism; Necessary and Proper Clause
• Importance: Confirmed Congress's power to establish a national bank, emphasizing federal power over state interference via the Necessary and Proper Clause.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

• Ruling: 9-0 for the United States
• Topic: 1st Amendment - Speech during wartime
• Importance: Established the "Clear and Present Danger" test, recognizing that national security can limit free speech.
• Update: Revised by Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969).

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

• Ruling: 9-0 for Brown
• Topic: Segregation; Equal Protection
• Importance: Ruled "Separate but equal" is inherently unequal, mandating school desegregation "with all deliberate speed."

Baker v. Carr (1961)

• Ruling: 6-2 for Baker
• Topic: One person, one vote
• Importance: Addressed that redistricting raises justiciable questions, allowing federal court intervention in redistricting disputes.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

• Ruling: 6-1 for Engel
• Topic: 1st Amendment - Establishment of Religion
• Importance: Prohibited state-sponsored prayers in public schools, even if not mandatory or tied to a specific religion.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1962)

• Ruling: 9-0 for Gideon
• Topic: 6th Amendment - Right to Counsel
• Importance: Affirmed the right to legal counsel in criminal cases, integrating this right at the state level.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

• Ruling: 7-2 for Griswold
• Topic: 14th Amendment - Right to Privacy
• Importance: Recognized a right to privacy that prevents states from outlawing contraceptives for married couples.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

• Ruling: 7-2 for Tinker
• Topic: 1st Amendment - Free Speech in Schools
• Importance: Affirmed students retain their constitutional rights in school settings, limiting speech restrictions to those that materially disrupt education.

Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969)

• Ruling: 8-0 for Brandenburg
• Topic: 1st Amendment - Speech
• Important Points: Prohibiting speech that is directed at inciting imminent lawless action, or is likely to incite such action.

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

• Ruling: 6-3 for New York Times Co.
• Topic: 1st Amendment - Freedom of the Press
• Importance: Ensured that vague national security claims cannot override First Amendment rights, a win for press freedom.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

• Ruling: 7-0 for Yoder
• Topic: 1st Amendment - Free Exercise/Religion
• Importance: Individual interests in religious practice outweigh state interests in mandating school attendance past eighth grade.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

• Ruling: 7-2 for Roe
• Topic: Right to Privacy
• Importance: Established that a woman's right to an abortion is encompassed in the right to privacy protected by the 14th Amendment.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

• Ruling: 5-4 for Shaw
• Topic: Gerrymandering; Equal Protection Clause
• Importance: Ruled against racial gerrymandering; electoral district shapes cannot be bizarre solely for racial separation purposes.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

• Ruling: 5-4 for Lopez
• Topic: Commerce Clause and Federalism
• Importance: Confirmed the federal government exceeded its powers under the Commerce Clause by regulating gun possession in school zones.

District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)

• Ruling: 5-4 for Heller
• Topic: 2nd Amendment - Right to Bear Arms
• Importance: Affirmed an individual's right to possess firearms for self-defense; invalidated handgun bans in private homes.

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

• Ruling: 5-4 for Citizens United
• Topic: Federal Elections and Campaign Finance
• Importance: Allowed unlimited corporate funding of independent political broadcasts; defined corporations as persons under the First Amendment.

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

• Ruling: 5-4 for McDonald
• Topic: 2nd Amendment - Right to Bear Arms
• Importance: Extended Second Amendment protections to apply against state laws through the 14th Amendment.

Shelby County v. Holder (2013)

• Ruling: 5-4 for Shelby County
• Topic: Voting Rights Act
• Importance: Struck down parts of the Voting Rights Act, repealing federal preclearance requirements.

Riley v. California (2014)

• Ruling: 9-0 for Riley
• Topic: 4th Amendment - Cell Phones
• Importance: Affirmed the necessity of a warrant to search cell phones, recognizing their vast capacity to store private information.

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

• Ruling: 5-4 for Obergefell
• Topic: Gay Marriage Rights; Equal Protection
• Importance: Established the right to marry as a fundamental right under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment.