Required SCOTUS cases

1. Marbury v. Madison (1803)

• Clause/Amendment: Article III – Judicial Review

• Context: William Marbury sued Secretary of State James Madison for not delivering his commission as a justice of the peace.

• Decision: The Court established judicial review, ruling that part of the Judiciary Act of 1789 was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court can declare laws unconstitutional.

2. McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

• Clause/Amendment: Necessary and Proper Clause & Supremacy Clause

• Context: Maryland taxed the federal Bank of the United States; McCulloch (bank cashier) refused to pay.

• Decision: Congress had the implied power to create a bank; states can't tax federal institutions. Federal power is supreme over state power.

3. Schenck v. United States (1919)

• Clause/Amendment: First Amendment – Free Speech

• Context: Schenck distributed leaflets urging resistance to the WWI draft; he was convicted under the Espionage Act.

• Decision: Free speech can be restricted if it creates a "clear and present danger" (like yelling fire in a crowded theater).

4. Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

• Clause/Amendment: 14th Amendment – Equal Protection Clause

• Context: African American students were denied admission to white public schools.

• Decision: Racial segregation in public schools is inherently unequal and unconstitutional.

5. Baker v. Carr (1962)

• Clause/Amendment: 14th Amendment – Equal Protection Clause

• Context: Tennessee had not redrawn legislative districts for decades, leading to unequal representation.

• Decision: The Court ruled that federal courts can hear redistricting cases ("one person, one vote" principle).

6. Engel v. Vitale (1962)

• Clause/Amendment: First Amendment – Establishment Clause

• Context: New York public schools encouraged a voluntary, non-denominational prayer.

• Decision: School-sponsored prayer in public schools is unconstitutional.

7. Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

• Clause/Amendment: 6th Amendment – Right to Counsel (and 14th Amendment Incorporation)

• Context: Clarence Gideon was denied a lawyer because Florida only provided counsel for capital cases.

• Decision: States must provide attorneys to defendants who can't afford one in criminal cases.

8. Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

• Clause/Amendment: First Amendment – Free Speech

• Context: Students wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War and were suspended.

• Decision: Students do not lose First Amendment rights at school unless the speech substantially disrupts the learning environment.

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

• Clause/Amendment: First Amendment – Freedom of the Press

• Context: The Nixon administration tried to block the New York Times from publishing the Pentagon Papers.

• Decision: Government cannot exercise prior restraint (censorship before publication) unless national security is directly and immediately threatened.

10. Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

• Clause/Amendment: First Amendment – Free Exercise Clause

• Context: Amish families refused to send their children to school past eighth grade for religious reasons, violating Wisconsin law.

• Decision: Compelling Amish students to attend school beyond eighth grade violated their free exercise of religion.

11. Roe v. Wade (1973)

• Clause/Amendment: 14th Amendment – Due Process Clause (right to privacy)

• Context: A woman sought to terminate her pregnancy but was barred by Texas law.

• Decision: Women have a constitutional right to an abortion during the first trimester.

12. Shaw v. Reno (1993)

• Clause/Amendment: 14th Amendment – Equal Protection Clause

• Context: North Carolina created a bizarrely shaped majority-minority district to elect more Black representatives.

• Decision: Racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional; race cannot be the predominant factor in redistricting.

13. United States v. Lopez (1995)

• Clause/Amendment: Commerce Clause

• Context: A student brought a gun to school; charged under the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act.

• Decision: The Act exceeded Congress’s commerce power; limited the scope of the Commerce Clause.

14. McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

• Clause/Amendment: 2nd Amendment (incorporated via the 14th Amendment)

• Context: Chicago’s handgun ban was challenged after the D.C. v. Heller decision.

• Decision: The Second Amendment applies to states; individuals have the right to possess firearms for self-defense