Required Cases Flashcards
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Facts:
Marbury petitioned for a writ of mandamus to compel James Madison to deliver his commission as a federal judge.
Ideas:
Judicial review; separation of powers.
Decision and Impact:
Judiciary Act of 1789 unconstitutional, established judicial review
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Facts:
Maryland imposed a tax on the Second Bank of the United States; James McCulloch, a bank official, refused to pay.
Constitutional Issues:
Implied powers; supremacy clause (Art VI); necessary and proper clause (Art 1, Sec 8).
Decision and Impact:
Confirmed the constitutionality of the national bank and established that states cannot tax federal institutions, reinforcing federal supremacy.
Schenck v. United States (1919)
Facts:
Schenck distributed leaflets opposing the draft during World War I and was charged under the Espionage Act.
Constitutional Issues:
Free speech (1st amendment); clear and present danger test.
Decision and Impact:
Established the “clear and present danger” test, allowing the government to restrict speech if it poses a significant threat to national security.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Facts:
African American children were denied admission to public schools based on laws permitting public education to be segregated by race.
Constitutional Issues:
Equal protection clause (14th Amendment).
Decision and Impact:
Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring that “separate but equal” facilities are inherently unequal, leading to desegregation of public schools.
Engel v. Vitale (1962)
Facts:
A New York public school required students to recite a daily prayer.
Constitutional Issues:
Establishment clause (1st Amendment).
Decision and Impact:
Ruled that government-directed prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause, reinforcing the separation of church and state.
Baker v. Carr (1962)
Facts:
Tennessee hadn’t redrawn legislative districts for decades which ignored significant population shifts, diluting votes.
Constitutional Issues:
Equal protection clause (14th Amendment); “one person, one vote” principle.
Decision and Impact:
Established that redistricting issues present justiciable questions, federal courts can hear redistricting cases (judicial intervention).
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Facts:
Gideon was denied a court-appointed attorney in a felony case and was convicted without one.
Constitutional Issues:
Right to counsel (6th Amendment); Incorporation (14th Amendment).
Decision and Impact:
States must provide legal counsel for all accused persons in criminal cases, regardless of their ability to pay.
Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
Facts:
Students wore black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War and were suspended.
Constitutional Issues:
Free speech, symbolic speech (1st Amendment).
Decision and Impact:
Affirmed that students do not lose their First Amendment rights at school, protecting symbolic speech unless it disrupts educational activities.
New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)
Facts:
The Nixon administration attempted to prevent the New York Times and Washington Post from publishing the Pentagon Papers, arguing national security concerns.
Constitutional Issues:
Freedom of the press (1st Amendment); prior restraint.
Decision and Impact: Held that the government did not meet the heavy burden of proof required for prior restraint, reinforcing press freedom.
Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
Facts:
Amish parents refused to send their children to school beyond 8th grade, citing religious beliefs.
Constitutional Issues:
Free exercise clause (1st Amendment).
Decision and Impact:
Held that the state’s interest in compulsory education was outweighed by the parents’ rights to free exercise of religion, allowing religious exemptions.
Shaw v. Reno (1993)
Facts:
North Carolina created a majority-black congressional district with an unusual shape, leading to allegations of racial gerrymandering.
Constitutional Issues: Equal protection clause (14th Amendment); racial gerrymandering.
Decision and Impact:
Ruled that redistricting based solely on race must be held to strict scrutiny, preventing racial gerrymandering.
United States v. Lopez (1995)
Facts:
Alfonso Lopez carried a concealed weapon into a Texas high school and was charged under the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990.
Constitutional Issues:
Commerce clause (Art 1, Sec 8); federalism.
Decision and Impact:
Held that the Gun-Free School Zones Act exceeded Congress’s authority under the Commerce Clause, limiting federal power over states.
McDonald v. Chicago (2010)
Facts:
McDonald challenged Chicago’s handgun ban, arguing it violated the 2nd Amendment.
Constitutional Issues: Right to bear arms (2nd Amendment); incorporation (14th Amendment).
Decision and Impact:
Incorporated the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms to the states through the 14th Amendment’s due process clause.
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
Facts:
FEC restricted Citizens United from airing a political film, CU argued restrictions on political spending by corporations and unions were unconstitutional.
Constitutional Issues:
Free speech (1st Amendment); campaign finance.
Decision and Impact:
Held that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited, leading to the rise of Super PACs.
