McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
” states did not have the power to tax the Federal Government”
- Necessary and Proper Clause: Article I, Section 8.
United States v. Lopez (1995)
“the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 was unconstitutional
- Commerce Clause: Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3
Engel v. Vitale (1962)
- no school-sponsered prayer
- First Amendment - Freedom of Religion
Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
-School attendance law was unconstitutional as applied to the Amish
- First Amendment - Freedom of Religion
Tinker v. Des Moines ISD (1969)
- Public school officials cannot censor student expression unless they disrupt school activities or invade the rights of others.
- Armbands against the Vietnam War
- First Amendment - Freedom of Expression
New York Times v. United States (1971)
- “Pentagon Papers”
- First Amendment right of a free press against prior restraint by the government
- Prior Restraint - pre-publication censorship
Schenck v. UnitedStates (1919)
- Charles Schenck was charged under the Espionage Act for mailing printed circulars critical of the military draft. (Vietnam)
- First Amendment - Freedom of Speech
- Public Safety > Individual Rights
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
- The states must provide legal counsel (defense attorney) if the criminal defendant can’t afford a lawyer
- Sixth Amendment - a guarantee of counsel
- 14th Amendment - creates a right for criminal defendants who cannot pay for their own lawyers to have the state appoint attorneys on their behalf.
Roe v. Wade (1973)
- U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas statute banning abortion, effectively legalizing the procedure across the United States.
- 14th Amendment: the U.S. Constitution, protects individual privacy, and includes the right to abortion prior to fetal viability.
McDonald v. Chicago (2010)
- A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State
- 14 Amendment: incorporation
- 2nd Amendment - Right to bear arms
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
- the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional.
- 14th Amendment: Equal Protection Clause
Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010)
-PACs
- prohibited corporations and unions from using their funds to use for election-related spending.
- Super PACs were created
- “Money is speech”
- 1st Amendment: Freedom of Speech
Baker v. Carr (1961)
- established the right of federal courts to review redistricting issues
- 14th Amendment- Violated the Equal Protection Clause
Shaw v. Reno (1993)
- the justices decided that using racial reasons for redistricting is unconstitutional.
- 14th Amendment: Equal Protection Clause
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
