Key Supreme Court Cases and Constitutional Principles

Selective Incorporation and the Fourteenth Amendment

Protections of the Bill of Rights have been selectively incorporated through the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause.
- This incorporation serves to prevent state infringement of fundamental liberties.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
- Established the right to legal counsel for individuals who are poor or indigent in state felony criminal cases.
Roe v. Wade (1973)
- Extended the right of privacy to a woman's decision to terminate her pregnancy by having an abortion, thus influencing reproductive rights.
McDonald v. Chicago (2010)
- Affirmed that the Second Amendment, which provides the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense, is applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.

14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause
- This clause has been instrumental in advancing equality under the law.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
- Ruled that race-based school segregation is unconstitutional as it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The influence of federal policies on electoral campaigning and the regulations surrounding it continues to be a contentious issue across the political landscape.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
- Determined that political spending by corporations, associations, and labor unions constitutes a form of protected speech under the First Amendment, thereby impacting regulations concerning campaign financing.

The republican ideal is reflected in the structural operation of the legislative branch of the United States government.