Landmark Scotus Cases

Question 1

Marbury v. Madison

Answer 1

Established the principle of judicial review, empowering U.S. courts to declare laws unconstitutional.

Question 2

MuCulloch v. Maryland

Answer 2

Congress had the authority to establish a federal bank and that the state of Maryland could not tax it, reinforcing the supremacy of federal law over state law

Question 3

Schenck v. U.S.

Answer 3

The first amendment does not protect speech that presents a “clear and present danger” of inciting illegal actions.

Question 4

Brown v. Board

Answer 4

Declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning the “separate but equal” doctrine.

Question 5

Plessy v. Ferguson

Answer 5

Upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.

Question 6

Baker v. Carr

Answer 6

Established the principle of “one person, one vote,” ruling that federal courts have jurisdiction over legislative apportionment issues.

Question 7

Engle v. Vitale

Answer 7

Ruled that state-sponsored prayer in public schools violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause

Question 8

Gideon v. Wainwright

Answer 8

Established that the 6th amendment guarantees the right to legal counsel for all criminal defendants in state courts.

Question 9

Tinker v. Des Moines

Answer 9

Established that students retain their 1st amendment rights in public schools.

Question 10

New York Times v. United States

Answer 10

Upheld the 1st amendment right of free press against prior restraint by the government.

Question 11

Wisconsin v. Yoder

Answer 11

Amish parents could not be required to send their children to public school beyond the eighth grade because it violated their 1st amendment right to free exercise of religion.

Question 12

Shaw v. Reno

Answer 12

Electoral districts whose boundaries are primarily based on race can be challenged as potential violations of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment.

Question 13

U.S. v. Lopez

Answer 13

Struck down the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 (GFSZA), determining that it was not a valid exercise of Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce.

Question 14

McDonald v. Chicago

Answer 14

Established the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense as a fundamental right protected by the 2nd amendment and incorporated by the 14th amendment.

Question 15

Citizens United v. F.E.C

Answer 15

Ruled that laws restricting independent political expenditures by corporations and unions violate the 1st amendment’s guarantee of free speech.

Question 16

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Answer 16

African Americans could not be American citizens and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court.

Question 17

Korematsu v. United States

Answer 17

Upheld the constitutionality of the exclusion and relocation of Japanese Americans during world War II.

Question 18

Miranda v. Arizona

Answer 18

Suspects must be informed of their rights to remain silent and to have an attorney before police interrogation.

Question 19

Roe v. Wade

Answer 19

Recognizing a woman’s constitutional right to choose an abortion before fetal viability.

Question 20

United States v. Nixon

Answer 20

Established the limits of executive privilege in the United States

Question 21

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

Answer 21

While affirmative action programs are constitutional, the use of strict racial quotas in university admissions is not permissible.

Question 22

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier

Answer 22

Established that schools retained the right to refuse to sponsor speech that was “inconsistent with ‘the shared values of a civilized social order’”.

Question 23

Texas v. Johnson

Answer 23

Burning the American flag is protected speech under the 1st Amendment.

Question 24

Bush v. Gore

Answer 24

A recount of the presidential election ballots could not be completed in a constitutionally valid manner within the time limit set by federal law.

Question 25

District of Columbia v. Heller

Answer 25

The 2nd Amendment protects an individual's right to keep and bear arms for self-defense within the home.

Question 26

Mapp v. Ohio

Answer 26

The exclusionary rule, which prevents the use of evidence obtained in violation of the 4th Amendment, applies to state courts.