lOMoARcPSD|44224707
AP U.S GOV LANDMARK CASES SUPREME COURT CASES
Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/78349512/ap-us-gov-landmark-supreme-court-cases-flash-cards/
Case/Year Topic/Issue Supreme Court Decision
Marbury v. Madison Checks and Established the power of judicial review in finding that a congressional statute
(1803) balances extending the Court's original jurisdiction was unconstitutional (Marshall Court)
Allowed Congress to establish a national bank via its implied powers and stopped
McCulloch v.
Federalism Maryland from taxing the national bank as violation of Supremacy Clause
Maryland (1819)
(Marshall Court)
Gibbons v. Ogden Ferry boat case; only Congress is granted the power to regulate interstate
Federalism
(1824) commerce by the Commerce Clause of the Constitution (Marshall Court)
Dred Scott v. Sanford Federalism, Ruled slaves were not citizens under the Constitution; struck down Missouri
(1857) slavery Compromise (Taney Court)
Upheld federal ban on polygamy because it is not protected by the free exercise
Reynolds v. United 1st Amend –
clause; government can punish criminal activity without regard to religious belief
States (1879 Religion
(Waite Court)
Plessy v. Ferguson Federalism, Upheld state-imposed racial segregation; "separate but equal" doctrine (Fuller
(1896) segregation Court)
Upheld the Espionage Act; declared that 1st Amendment right to freedom of
Schenck v. United 1st Amend –
speech was not absolute; free speech could be limited if its exercise presented a
States (1919) Speech
"clear and present danger" (White Court)
Established the selective incorporation of the Bill of rights (a.k.a. incorporation
Gitlow v. New York Federalism,
doctrine) through the 14th amendment; Bill of Rights can limit the states as well as
(1925) 1st Amend
the federal government (Taft Court)
W.Va. Board of 1st Amend – Ruled public school children (Jehovah's witnesses) cannot be compelled to salute
Education v. Barnett Speech, the flag or recite the Pledge; violates 1st Amendment freedom of speech (Stone
(1943) Religion Court)
Korematsu v. United Rights of the Upheld the U.S. government's decision to put Japanese-Americans in internment
States (1944) Accused camps during World War II due to a clear and present danger (Stone Court)
Brown v. Board of School segregation unconstitutional; segregation psychologically damaging to
Civil Rights
Education (1954) blacks; overturned separate but equal; use of 14th Amendment (Warren Court)
Rights of the Established the exclusionary rule; illegally obtained evidence cannot be used in
Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
Accused court (Warren Court)
Voting rights, Court set aside "political question" doctrine and ruled that it can decide a voting
Baker v. Carr (1962)
apportionment rights question; first important voting rights case (Warren Court)
Prohibited state-sponsored recitation of prayer in public schools by virtue of 1st
1st Amend –
Engel v. Vitale (1962) Amendment's establishment clause and the 14th Amendment's due process clause
Religion
(Warren Court)
Abington School
1st Amend – Prohibited school-sponsored devotional Bible reading in public schools because it
District v. Schempp
Religion violated the establishment clause and due process clause (Warren Court)
(1963)
Gideon v. Wainwright Rights of the Extended to the defendant the right of counsel in all state and federal criminal
(1963) Accused trials regardless of their ability to pay (Warren Court)
Wesberry v. Sanders Voting rights, Established "one man, one vote;" ordered House districts to be as near equal in
(1963) apportionment population as possible during reapportionment process (Warren Court)
Heart of Atlanta Motel
Upheld the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Congress can ban segregation in public
v. United States Civil Rights
accommodations via the commerce clause (Warren Court)
(1964)
Ruled the 1st Amendment protects even false statements about public figures
New York Times v. 1st Amend –
unless they can prove statements were made with malice and disregard for the
Sullivan (1964) Press
truth (Warren Court)
Griswold v. Right to Established right of privacy for married couples using birth control through 4th
Connecticut (1965) Privacy and 9th Amendments; set privacy precedent for Roe v. Wade (Warren Court)
Criminal suspects must be informed of their right to consult with an attorney and
Miranda v. Arizona Rights of the
of their right against self-incrimination prior to questioning by police; established
(1966) Accused
Miranda warnings of counsel and silence (Warren Court)
Loving v. Virginia Struck down state's law banning interracial marriage as violation of the 14th
Civil Rights
(1967) Amendment equal protection clause (Warren Court)
Brandenburg v. Ohio 1st Amend – 1st and 14th Amendments protected speech advocating violence at KKK rally
(1969) Speech unless it calls for "imminent lawless action (Warren Court)
Downloaded by Amiah Monè (m5nsz6j495@privaterelay.appleid.com)
lOMoARcPSD|44224707
Tinker v. Des Moines 1st Amend - Upheld student's speech rights; wearing black arm bands in protest of Vietnam
(1969) Speech War is protected symbolic speech under the 1st Amendment (Warren Court)
Established the "Lemon Test" to determine if a government law or action is
constitutional under the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment: 1) the law
Lemon v. Kurtzman 1st Amend –
must have a legitimate secular purpose, 2) must neither advance nor inhibit
(1971) Religion
religion, 3) and must not result in an excessive entanglement of government and
religion (Burger Court)
New York Times v. 1st Amend – "Pentagon Papers;" government must prove actual harm to national security if it
United States (1971) Press seeks prior restraint to censor the press (Burger Court)
Right to Abortion rights fall within the privacy implied in the 14th amendment; women
Roe v. Wade (1973)
privacy have total autonomy over pregnancy in the first trimester (Burger Court)
The President has no absolute constitutional executive privilege to refuse to
United States v. Nixon Checks and
comply with a court order to produce information needed in a criminal trial
(1974) balances
(Burger Court)
Campaign 1st Amendment protects campaign spending; legislatures can limit contributions,
Buckley v. Valeo
finance, 1st but candidates can spend an unlimited amount of their own or family's money in
(1976)
Amendment campaigns (Burger Court)
Gregg v. Georgia Rights of the Death penalty is not "cruel and unusual punishment" in cases of murder (Burger
(1976) accused Court)
Regents of the
Upheld affirmative action, but ruled that racial quotas in college admissions are
University of Affirmative
unconstitutional because they violate the equal protection clause of the 14th
California v. Bakke action
amendment (Burger Court)
(1978)
Texas v. Johnson 1st Amend – Flag-burning is symbolic speech with a political purpose and is protected by 1st
(1989) Speech Amendment (Rehnquist Court)
Oregon Employment The state could deny unemployment benefits to a person fired for violating a state
1st Amend –
Division v. Smith prohibition on the use of peyote, even though the use of the drug was part of a
Religion
(1990) religious ritual (Rehnquist Court)
Struck down law requiring spousal notification prior to obtaining an abortion ; law
invalid under the 14th Amendment because it created an undue burden on married
Planned Parenthood v. Abortion
women seeking an abortion; upheld requirements for parental consent, informed
Casey (1992) rights
consent, and 24-hour waiting period were constitutionally valid regulations
(Rehnquist Court)
United States v. Lopez Gun Free School Zones Act exceeded Congress' authority to regulate interstate
Federalism
(1995) commerce; important federalism case (Rehnquist Court)
Political Resolved 2000 presidential election by halting the Florida vote recount (Rehnquist
Bush v. Gore (2000)
Process Court)
Gratz v. Bollinger Affirmative Struck down use of "bonus points" for race in undergraduate admissions at
(2003) Action University of Michigan (Rehnquist Court)
Lawrence v. Texas Struck down state statute making same sex intercourse (sodomy) illegal because
Gay rights
(2003) the law violates the due process clause of the 14 Amendment (Rehnquist Court)
District of Columbia 2nd Amend – Ruled the 2nd Amendment protects an individual's right to possess a firearm for
v. Heller (2008) gun rights lawful, private use (Roberts Court)
Citizens United v. Campaign Ruled that corporations and unions cannot be banned from spending money on a
Federal Elections finance, 1st political campaign under the 1st Amendment; corporations and unions have the
Commission (2010) Amendment same free speech rights as individuals (Roberts Court)
National Federation of
Upheld most of the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") including individual
Independent Business Federalism
mandate under Congress's taxing power (Roberts Court)
v. Sebelius (2012)
Struck down provision of Voting Rights Act of 1965 requiring states engaged in
Shelby County v. past discrimination to get federal preclearance before instituting changes in voting
Voting rights
Holder (2013) laws or practices; allowed restrictive state voter ID laws to go forward (Roberts
Court)
Struck down the federal Defense of Marriage of Marriage Act's (DOMA)
United States v. restrictions of marriage rights to only heterosexual couples as unconstitutional
Gay rights
Windsor (2013) violation of the 5th amendment due process clause; same sex married couples now
receive federal benefits (Roberts Court)
Downloaded by Amiah Monè (m5nsz6j495@privaterelay.appleid.com)
