1800s
MARBURY V. MADISON (1803)
The court established judicial review.
SCHENCK V. UNITED STATES (1919)
Speech creating a “clear and present danger” was not protected by the First Amendment and could be
limited.
GIDEON V. WAINWRIGHT (1963)
In this case, the Sixth Amendment’s right to an attorney extends procedural due process protections to
felony defendants in state courts.
SHAW V. RENO (1993)
Under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, majority-minority districts, created under
the Voting Rights Act of 1965, may be constitutionally challenged by voters if race is the only factor used
in creating the district.
MCDONALD V. CHICAGO (2010)
The Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for self-defense is applicable to the states.
MCCULLOCH V. MARYLAND (1819)
The court established the supremacy of the U.S. Constitution and federal laws over state laws.
BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION (1954)
Race-based school segregation violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
TINKER V. DES MOINES INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT (1969)
A prohibition against public school students wearing black armbands in school to protest the Vietnam
War violated the students’ freedom of speech protections in the First Amendment.
UNITED STATES V. LOPEZ (1995)
Congress exceeded its power under the Commerce Clause when it made possession of a gun in a
school zone a federal crime.
CITIZENS UNITED V. FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION (2010)
Political spending by corporations, associations, and labor unions is a form of protected speech under
the First Amendment.
BAKER V. CARR (1962)
This case held that redistricting did not raise political questions, allowing federal courts to hear other
cases that challenge redistricting plans that may violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth
Amendment.
9. NEW YORK TIMES CO. V. UNITED STATES (1971)
This case bolstered the freedom of the press protections of the First Amendment, establishing a “heavy presumption against prior restraint” even in cases involving national security.
ENGEL V. VITALE (1962)
School sponsorship of religious activities violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
WISCONSIN V. YODER (1972)
Compelling Amish students to attend school past the eighth grade violates the Free Exercise Clause of
the First Amendment.