Famous Court Cases Flashcards
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
James Madison, President Thomas Jefferson’s Secretary of State, failed to deliver a judicial commision to William Marbury , a justice of the peace. Marbury sued him and asked the court for a writ of mandamus, which would force Madison to deliver the commision. However, Justice John Marshall declared that the Judiciary Act of 1789, which granted the Supreme Court the power to issue a writ mandamus, was unconstitutional. Because a law passed by Congress was declared unconstitutional, Marshall’s court decided that the Supreme Court had the power of judicial review.
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
In 1816, Congress chartered The Second Bank of the United States. The state of Maryland believed that it was unconstitutional and threatened the rights of the states, so it passed legislation to impose taxes on the bank. The bank of the U.S. sued Maryland, claiming that a state did not have the authority to interfere with the operations of a federally chartered institution. The court ruled in favor of the bank of the U.S. and stated that Congress had the power to incorporate it under the Necessary and Proper Clause and was protected from state interference by the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. The decision of the court allowed the central government to exercise implied powers beyond the enumerated powers in the Constitution.
Schenck v. United States (1919)
During WW1, Charles Schenck printed and mailed hundreds of fliers, in which he encouraged men to not serve in the war as it was a violation of the Thirteenth Amendment’s prohibition of involuntary servitude. Schenck and an associate, Elizabeth Baer, were accused of violating the Espionage Act of 1917. Schenck and Baer’s actions represented a “clear and present danger” to the government’s war effort. Hence, the court ruled that speech that creates a clear and present danger is not protected by the First Amendment.
Brown v. Board (1954)
This case was about the segregation of public schools on the basis of race. It argued that such segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The plaintiff (prosecutor) was denied relief in the lower courts based on Plessy v. Ferguson case ( “separate but equal” doctrine). The Supreme Court held that the “separate but equal” doctrine is unequal and violates the protections of the Fourteenth Amendment. It was unconstitutional.
Baker v. Carr (1962)
In this case, Charles Baker brought to light apportionment laws being ignored by the State of Tennessee. Tennesse was violating the constitutional right of equal protection (14th amendment) because it was overrepresenting the rural areas in proportion to those of urban and suburban areas. The decision of this case helped to establish the principle of “one person, one vote,” as well as to set a precedent for federal courts to interfere in political disputes whenever a question of equal justice is at stake.
Engel v. Vitale (1962)
Compulsory prayers in New York public schools were being recited by children each day. A group of organizations joined forces and claimed that it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The New York Court of Appeals rejected their arguments. The court stated that recitation of prayer in the school system violated the Establishment Clause because it broke the constitutional wall between state and church. Hence, the Supreme Court ruled that prayers in public schools were a violation of the 1st Amendment.
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Clarence Earl Gideon was charged in Florida state court with felony breaking and entering. Although he requested that the court appoint a lawyer for him, the court did not do so since Florida state law stated that a lawyer may only be appointed to an indigent defendant in a capital case. Gideon represented himself in trial and was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. He filed a habeas corpus petition in the Florida Supreme Court, but it was denied. So, he decided to file his own hand-written petition with the United States Supreme Court. The Justices took interest and heard arguments. Then they announced that the right to an attorney in the Constitution guaranteed Gideon and anyone else the right to counsel in similar criminal cases.
Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
A group of students in Des Moines wanted to plan a public showing of their support for an agreement In the Vietnam War. They were protesting for peace. Black armbands were used as a symbol to protest for peace with Vietnam and the school was against it. If the school saw them wearing one, they would get sent home. After the school kept sending the students home, they decided to sue the school. The school argued that wearing armbands interfered with their learning. However, the court ruled in favor of the students, saying that wearing the armbands did not distract them.
New York Times v. United States (1971)
When the New York Times released the Pentagon Papers to the public, the government took them to court for violation of the Espionage Act, but the First Amendment right of Freedom of Press was upheld. The court states that since publication would not cause an inevitable, direct, and immediate event imperiling the safety of American forces, prior restraint was unjustified (unconstitutional).
Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
Wisconsin State law required that all children must attend public school until at least 16. However, for Jonas Yoder and others, going to school after the 8th grade violates their religion. Hence, the court ruled that parents were allowed to instruct their children outside of either private or public schools
Roe v. Wade (1973)
Jane Roe (a fictional name used in court documents to protect the plaintiff (prosecutor)’s identity) filed a lawsuit against Henry Wade, the district attorney of Dallas County, Texas, where she challenged a Texas law making abortion illegal except by a doctor’s orders to save a woman’s life. Roe argued that the state laws were unconstitutional and abridged her right to personal privacy, protected by the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments. The Court ruled that the Constitution protects a pregnant woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction.
Shaw v. Reno (1993)
A group of white voters in North Carolina challenged the state’s new congressional district map, which had two “majority-minority” districts. The group claimed that the districts were racial gerrymanders that violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The court ruled that race cannot be the predominant factor in creating districts.
United States v. Lopez (1995)
Alfonzo Lopez, a 12th-grader, carried a concealed weapon into his high school. He was charged under Texas law with firearm possession on school premises. Federal agents charged Lopez with violating the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. Lopez was found guilty and sentenced to six months imprisonment and two years supervised release. However, the court ruled that the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 was unconstitutional because Congress had exceeded its authority under the commerce clause of the Constitution. This case helped preserve the system of federalism. It upheld the principle that states have control of local issues, like gun possession on school grounds.
McDonald v. Chicago (2010)
The Supreme Court was asked to determine the extent of gun rights for individuals under the second amendment. The court ruled that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,” applies to state and local governments as well as to the federal government.
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
The Supreme Court held that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited because doing so would violate the First Amendment.
