Court Cases Flashcards
Voting Rights Act of 1965
allowed African Americans the right to vote
Brown v Board
overturned the separate but equal doctrine from Plessy v Ferguson
Roe v Wade
right to privacy
Barron v Baltimore
helped define the concept of Federalism; Supreme Court established a precedent that the US Bill of Rights could not be applied to state govts
Gitlow v New York
States may not deny freedom of speech and press. these were to be protected by the “liberty” part of the 14th Amendment’s due process clause
Palko v Connecticut
any right that is so important that liberty would not exist without it must be upheld by states
Griswold v Connecticut
ruled right to privacy; sets precedent for Roe v Wade
Boy Scouts of America v Dale
Boy Scouts can ban homosexuals from being scout leaders via Amendment 1 and 9
Lawrence v Texas
struck down a Texas law that banned sodomy; reversed the decision of Bowers v Hardwick, which upheld a GA law banning sodomy
Everson v Board
Upheld a NJ law allowing tax money to pay transportation costs for students attending private schools; bus transportation is not a religious activity; Court stated a “wall of separation” exists btw church and state and that the establishment clause of I Amendment applied to the states via due process clause of amendment 14
Zorach v Clauson
released time for students is constitutional
Engle v Vitale
no state sponsored, recited prayer in public school
abbington v schempp
no devotional bible reading in public school
epperson v arkansas
state laws may not prohibit the teaching of evolution in public school
lemon v Kurtzman
SC struck down a PA law in which the state reimbursed nonpublic schools for teachers’ salaries, textbooks and instructional materials; established a 3-part test (Lemon test) to see if it violates the establishment clause: nonsecular; advances or inhibits religion; excessive entanglement with govt
Employment Division of Oregon v Smith
govt no longer needed a compelling purpose to deny religious expression; only laws that would be struck down would be those that were intended to stifle a particular religion
City of Boerne v Flores
Supreme court struck down the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and restored the standard used in Orgeon v Smith
reynolds v US
free exercise clause protected religious beliefs, but not necessarily religious actions
US v Lee
amish cannot refuse to pay Social Security taxes for religious reasons
West Virginia v Barnette
students may not be compelled to salute the flag in school
wisconsin v yoder
amish do not have to send children to school past the 8th grade
church of lukumi babalu aye v hialeah
struck down the ban on animal sacrifice; not a harm to society bc animals aren’t society
Schenck v US
Speech can be suppressed only if there is an imminent threat to society
Smith Act
banned advocacy of overthrowing the govt
