Supreme Court: Cases To Memorise Flashcards
(35 cards)
1
Q
What was Engel v Vitale (1962)?
A
- Prayers in public schools are unconstitutional.
- Violated ‘establishment of religion’ clause of 1st Amendment. (The constitutional wall between church and state)
6-1
2
Q
What was Texas v Johnson (1989)?
A
- Johnson burned flag to protest Reagan administration policies and was convicted under Texas law outlawing flag desecration.
- 5-4, the Court found Johnson’s actions were a form of expressive conduct and had a political nature.
- Government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds it offensive/disagreeable.
3
Q
What was FEC v Citizens United (2010)?
A
- 5-4 along ideology.
- Held under 1st Amendment corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited.
4
Q
What was Burwell v Hobby Lobby Stores (2014)?
A
- Employers not required to provide healthcare that covers birth control if conflicts with their religious beliefs.
- 5-4 majority along ideology.
5
Q
What was DC v Heller (2008)?
A
- Overturned ban on handguns in Washington DC.
- Ruled 4-5 along ideology.
- Amendment read to “guarantee an individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation”.
6
Q
What was Carpenter v US (2018)?
A
- Police cannot search your phone without a warrant.
- 5-4. Roberts & libs.
- Declined extending “third-party doctrine” to cell-site location info.
7
Q
What was Baze v Rees (2008)?
A
- 7-2 decision, Stevens and Breyer siding with con judges.
- Held that Kentucky’s lethal injection scheme did not violate the 8th Amendment.
8
Q
What was Plessy v Ferguson (1896)?
A
- Ruled 7-1 that segregation is constitutional, provided it is equal.
- The Court held that state law was constitutional.
- The 14th Amendment intended to establish absolute equality for the races before the law but held separate treatment did not imply the inferiority of African Americans.
9
Q
What was Brown v Board (1953)?
A
- Overturned unanimously Plessy v Ferguson and paved the way for racial integration.
- Held the “separate but equal” facilities are inherently unequal and violate the protections of 14th Amendment.
10
Q
What was Roe v Wade (1973)?
A
- In first trimester, the state may not regulate abortion decision.
- In the second trimester, they may impose regulations that are related to maternal health.
- In third trimester, they may regulate abortions or prohibit entirely, so long laws contain exceptions to save health of the mother due to 14th Amendment stating “right to privacy” protecting a woman’s choice.
- The Texas law was challenged. 7-2.
11
Q
What was Obergefell v Hodges (2015)?
A
- Kennedy & lib 5-4.
- 14th amendment guarantees gay marriage.
12
Q
What was Whole Woman’s Health v Hellerstedt (2016)?
A
- Upheld Roe v Wade and overturned Texas state regulations on abortions.
- HB2 imposes an undue burden on women seeking a legal abortion, and thus is unconstitutional.
- 5-3, ideology libs & Kennedy.
13
Q
What was US v Nixon 1974?
A
- Nixon said he was immune from the subpoena claiming executive privilege.
- Court held unanimously that neither the doctrine of separation of powers, nor the generalized need for confidentiality of high-level communications can sustain an absolute, unqualified, presidential privilege.
- They granted there was limited executive privilege in areas of military or diplomatic affairs.
14
Q
What was Clinton v City of New York 1998?
A
- Ruled the Line-Item Veto Act was unconstitutional as it gave the President power to amend leg passed by Congress.
- Court explained that under the Presentment Clause, leg that passes both Houses of Congress must either be entirely approved (signed) or rejected (vetoed) by the President.
6-3
15
Q
What was Bush v Gore 2000?
A
- Votes in Florida were close in the 2000 election.
- The Court ruled manually recounting a specific precinct was wrong, and the entire state must be recounted.
2-7
16
Q
What was National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) v Sebelius (2012)
A
- Court unanimously upheld Obama’s Affordable Care Act requiring Americans to purchase Health Insurance by 2014.
- Roberts ruled that a mandate to buy insurance was an exercise of Congress’ power to collect taxes, and thus Obamacare was passed.
17
Q
What was Shelby County v Holder (2013)
A
- 5-4 con removed Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act which required states to have preclearance from the federal government before changing voting laws in their states.
- Texas, Mississippi & Alabama passed strict voter photo ID laws, that were previously barred under preclearance.
18
Q
What was Trump v Hawaii (2018)?
A
- Ruled 5-4 con that EO 13769, which banned travel from certain (predominantly Muslim) countries, was legal.
- The court found the order did not favour or disfavour any religion.
19
Q
What was Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organisation (2022)?
A
- The majority held that abortion is not a constitutional right as the Constitution does not mention it and its substantive right was not “deeply rooted” in the country’s history, meaning that individual states have the authority to regulate access to abortion.
6-3
20
Q
What case unanimously upheld Obama’s Affordable Care Act, and ruled that a mandate to buy insurance was an exercise of Congress’ power to collect taxes?
A
National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) v Sebelius 2012
21
Q
What case ruled that segregation is constitutional providing it is equal?
A
Plessy v Ferguson 1896
22
Q
What cases are under the first amendment?
A
- Engel v Vitale 1962
- Texas v Johnson 1989
- FEC v Citizens United 2010
- Snyder v Phelps 2011
- McCutcheon v FEC 2014
- Burwell v Hobby Lobby Stores 2014
23
Q
What was Fisher v Uni of Texas (2013 & 2016)?
A
- The University of Texas’ use of race as a consideration in the admissions process did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
- Justice Kennedy delivered the opinion for the 4-3 majority, citing an amicus curiae brief.
24
Q
What was West Virginia v Environmental Protection Agency 2022?
A
- Court said the Environmental Protection Agency did not have the authority to impose sweeping measures on the regulation of carbon dioxide emissions through the Clean Air Act Biden proposed on the states.
25
What cases relate to Guantanamo Bay?
- Hamdan v Rumsfeld 2006
- Boumediene v Bush 2008
26
What was Hamdan v Rumsfeld 2006?
- Detainees cannot be tried by a military commission, only a court.
- Congress passed the Military Commission Act 2006 to overcome this SC ruling.
*5-4 towards libs*
27
What was Boumediene v Bush 2008?
- Detainees have the right to have cases heard in US courts.
- The Military Commissions Act was unconstitutional.
*5-4 (Kennedy towards Libs)*
28
What was Arizona v US 2012?
- Arizona demanded immigrants to carry registered documents.
- The court ruled that states may not implement their own immigration laws.
29
What was US v Texas 2016?
- Court issued a 4-4 decision
- The case challenged expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA).
- This challenged Obama's EO.
30
What was Schuette v Coalition to defend Affirmative Action 2014?
- Held that Michigan's universities no longer considering race as part of its admissions process does not violate the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause.
- This allowed Michigan to get rid of Affirmative Action.
- 6-2, Kagan wasn't involved due to conflict of interest.
31
What cases relate to campaign finance?
- Buckley v Valeo 1976
- Citizens United v FEC 2010
- McCutcheon v FEC 2014
32
What was Buckley v Valeo 1976?
- Court ruled limiting the amount an individual or PAC could spend on a campaign was against the 1st Amendment.
33
What was McCutcheon v FEC 2014?
- Ruled the limit on donations the 2002 McCain-Feingold set on how much you could spend in a two year election cycle was unconstitutional.
34
What was Allen v Milligan 2023?
- Court striked down a gerrymandered congressional map in Alabama upholding section 2 of voting rights act.
- The majority republican state had diluted black voters by drawing congressional maps that left only one district with a majority black population despite the fact that black voters make up about ¼ of Alabama’s population, and were a majority of 7 states districts.
- Congressional maps shouldn't be drawn in a racially motivated way.
- Shouldn’t be drawn in a racially motivated way. 6-3, Kavanaugh and Roberts sided with liberals.
35
What was Snyder v Phelps 2011?
- A family accused Westboro Baptist church of defamation, invasion of privacy, and the intentional infliction of emotional distress for displaying signs that said, "Thank God for dead soldiers" and "Fag troops" at Snyder's funeral.
- The Court affirmed the lower court's decision
upholding that the First Amendment shields those who stage a protest at the funeral of a military service member. 8-1
