Supreme Court Cases Flashcards
McCulloch v. Maryland(1819)
- several states passed a law to tax the Bank of the U.S
- Congress was able to establish a national bank
- states can’t tax the national government
United States v. Lopez(1995)
- a student in Texas brought an unloaded gun to school and was charged with violating the Gun- Free School Zone Act
- the court decided that this law was unconstitutional because the US Congress had gone over its limited power in enacting this law
Maybury v. Madison(1803)
William Maybury was appointed by President John Adams but didn’t receive his commission, so he petitioned the Supreme Court to compel James Madison to deliver his commission.
-Maybury was entitled to his commission, but the Judiciary Act of 1789 prevented it
this case established judicial review that allows the court to decide if a law is unconstitutional
Baker v. Carr(1962)
Tennessee didn’t take into account of it’s population shift, so one person’s vote wasn’t necessarily equal to another person’s vote
-this case led to “one person, one vote” that increased democracy and voting rights of minorities
Shaw v. Reno(1993)
North Carolina created a bizarre shaped majority-minority district for the purpose of increasing black representation in Congress
- Congressional districts can’t be drawn based on race
- drawing a district based only on race violated the equal protection clause and opposes the “colorblind” ideal in US law
Engle v. Vitale(1962)
public schools in New York started the school day by having students recite a nondenominational prayer each morning
-states cannot hold prayers in public schools, even if participation is voluntary and if the prayer is tied to a specific religion
Wisconsin v. Yoder(1972)
Wisconsin had a law that required school attendance until the age of 16. Amish families refused to send their kids to school for religious reasons once they finished the 8th grade.
- compelling Amish students to attend school after the 8th grade violates the free exercise clause
- individuals interest in free exercise clause outweighs the states interest in compelling school attendance beyond the 8th grade
Tinker v. Des Moines(1969)
students were suspended for wearing black armbands in protest of the Vietnam war. The armbands represent pure speech since students have the right to free speech.
Schneck v. United States(1919)
Charles Schneck handed out leaflets arguing that the military draft violated the 8th amendment for involuntary servitude. He was arrested for violating the Espionage Act. Free speech doesn’t protect speech that could cause trouble or put people in danger
New York Times v. United States(1971)
The Nixon admin tried to stop the publishing of the Pentagon Papers by New York Times and Washington Post. The gov didn’t have the right to block publication.
McDonald v. Chicago(2010)
Residents of Chicago were denied licenses to bear handguns. but the court decided that the 2nd amendment’s right to bear arms applied to all states
Gideon v. Wainwright(1963)
Clarence E. Gideon was charged with a felony and requested a lawyer, but the court denied his request. But the court decided that the states must attorneys for defendants who can’t afford one
Roe v. Wade(973)
A Texas state law prohibited abortions unless it was to save a pregnant women’s life. The court decided that a women has a right to and abortion based on the right to privacy.
Brown v. Board of Education(1954)
Black students in several states were denied admittance to certain public schools based on race. The court required the desegregation of public schools
Citizens United v. FEC(2010)
Corporations, unions, and interest groups were banned from independent political spending withing 60 days of general elections or 30 days of primary elections. the court decided that corporations are people too, and they can participate in political speech, so they can spend unlimited amounts of money.
