Landmark Supreme Court Cases Flashcards
(31 cards)
Article I (legislative
branch) and Article III
(judicial branch)
Established the Court’s power of judicial review
Marbury v Madison (1803)
Powers of the Judicial Branch
Article I (legislative
branch) and Article III
(judicial branch) and
Amendment V (due
process/property)
The Court held that US citizenship did not extend to people
of African descent.
Nullified by 13th and 14th amendment
Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)
Citizenship and right to freedom
Article II (executive
branch)
The Court ordered President Nixon to deliver tape
recordings and subpoenaed materials to a federal district
court; executive privilege is not absolute. Rule of law
applies to president.
United States v. Nixon (1974)
Rights of a president
The Court ruled the president and congress acted within
his authority to protect the West Coast during wartime.
Court showed deference to the elected branches during
wartimeArticle I (legislative
branch) Article II
(executive branch)
Korematsu v. United States (1944)
Relocation of American citizens of
Japanese descent
Article I (legislative
branch) Section 8 (law
making power)
the doctrine of patent exhaustion does not allow the
purchaser to make copies of a patented item.
Bowman v. Monsanto Co. (2013)
Patent law regarding seeds
Article I (legislative
branch) Section 8
clause 18 “Necessary
and Proper Clause”
Article VI – Supremacy
clause
Congress has implied powers to implement the
Constitution’s expressed powers - Necessary and Proper
clause, that include the chartering of a bank.
State could not tax the bank – Supremacy Clause
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Does Congress have the power to establish
a bank?
Did state law interfere with the bank?
Article I Section 8 –
Congress regulates
”commerce… among
the several states” -
commerce clause
only Congress can regulate interstate navigation.
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
Who regulates interstate navigation?
Amendment 1
(Freedom of speech)
the words used by Schenck created a “clear and present
danger” and were not protected.
Court famously used the analogy of “falsely shouting fire in
a theatre and causing a panic” to illustrate the limits of free
speech.
Schenck v. United States (1919)
Protesting the draft.
Amendment 1
(Freedom of Speech)
freedom of speech protects students from being forced to
salute the flag in school
West Virginia v. Barnette (1943)
Forced saluting of the flag?
Amendment 1
(Freedom of speech)
a public school could not punish a student for peaceful
protest if it did not interfere with school discipline -
“students do not shed their constitutional rights at the
schoolhouse gate”
Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
Freedom of speech in public schools
Amendment 1
(Freedom of speech)
burning the American flag is protected by the first
amendment as it is symbolic speech
Texas v. Johnson (1989)
Flag burning as political speech
Amendment 1
(Freedom of speech)
the government cannot restrict independent expenditures
for political campaigns from corporations, labor unions,
and others – speech (i.e. money on campaign spending is
considered part of speech)
Citizens United v. Federal Election
Commission (2010)
Corporate and union based political speech
Amendment 1
(Freedom of the press)
a newspaper cannot be held liable for making false and
defamatory statements about the conduct of an official
unless those statements were made with actual malice or
a reckless disregard for the truth
New York Times v. Sullivan (1964)
Public figures claiming libel
Amendment 1
(Freedom of the pres
New York Times Co. v. United States
(1971)
Amendment 1
(Freedom of the press)
school administrators could exercise prior restraint of
school sponsored expression if it’s related to legitimate
concerns
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)
Censorship of student newspapers
Amendment 4
(search and seizure)
Evidence obtained unconstitutionally cannot be used in court (4th
Amendment)
Exclusionary rule applied to states
Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
Evidence found from warrantless
searches
Amendment 6
(right to an attorney)
states must provide attorneys to criminal defendants who are
unable to afford their own (6th amendment)
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
mendment 5
(right to remain silent)
Prosecutors cannot use a person’s statements in response to
interrogation in police custody unless they can prove that person
has been informed of their rights
Protection from self incrimination (5th Amendment)
Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
Custodial interrogation rights
Amendment 14
(equal protection and
due process)
Juveniles tried for crimes in delinquency proceedings are also
protected under due process (5th amendment)
In re Gault (1967)
Juvenile defendant protections
Amendment 8
(prohibitions on cruel
and unusual
punishment)
A landmark case that temporarily abolished the death
penalty in the United States, ruling that its application at
the time was arbitrary and discriminatory.
Furman v. Georgia (1972)
Is the death penalty cruel and unusual
punishment?
Amendment 1
(Freedom of religion –
establishment clause)
Unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official
school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools
– violation of establishment clause
Engel v. Vitale (1962)
School led pray
Amendment 1
(freedom of religion –
Free exercise clause)
Established that parents have a constitutional right to
exercise religious freedom by withdrawing their children
from public school attendance based on their religious
beliefs, even if it conflicts with compulsory education laws
Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
Religious exemptions for school
Amendment 2
(right to bear arms)
The 2nd amendment allows for firearms in the home for
lawful purpose of self defense (Heller)
(McDonald) incorporated the 2nd amendment to the states
District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and
Chicago v. McDonald (2010)
Amendment 14
(equal protection)
Racial segregation did not violate the 14th amendment.
Established ”separate but equal” standard.
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Separate but equal?
