SCOTUS Cases Flashcards
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Established supremacy of the U.S. Constitution and federal laws over state laws
United States v. Lopez (1995)
Congress may not use the commerce clause to make possession of a gun in a school zone a federal crime
Engel v. Vitale (1962)
School sponsorship of religious activities violates the free exercise clause
Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
Compelling Amish students to attend school past the eighth grade violates the free exercise clause
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)
Public school students have the right to wear black armbands in school to protest the Vietnam War
New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)
Bolstered the freedom of the press, establishing a “heavy presumption against prior restraint” even in cases involving national security
Schenck v. United States (1919)
Speech creating a “clear and present danger” is not protected by the First Amendment
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Guaranteed the right to an attorney for the poor or indigent in a state felony case
McDonald v. Chicago (2010)
The Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for self-defense is applicable to the states
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Race-based school segregation violates the equal protection clause
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
Political spending by corporations, associations, and labor unions is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment
Baker v. Carr (1961)
Opened the door to equal protection challenges to redistricting and the development of
the “one person, one vote” doctrine by ruling that challenges to redistricting did not raise “political questions” that would keep federal courts from reviewing such challenges
Shaw v. Reno (1993)
Majority minority districts, created under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, may be
constitutionally challenged by voters if race is the only factor used in creating the district
