SCOTUS Cases
Brown vs Board of Education (1954): ruling & constitutional justification
Ruled that by the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional.
Article I, Article II, Article III (must get all right to get points)
Legislature, executive, judicial branches set up (respectively)
Rule of law
All persons, institutions, and entities are accountable to following laws, nobody is above the law.
American Revolution (countries & changes in governance)
American movement for independence from Great Britain, establishing a new democratic republic in place of Britain's monarchy
Gerrymandering
Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefitting a certain party
Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022): Ruling and constitutional justification
Ruled abortion is neither a constitutional nor fundamental right implied by the Fourteenth Amendment's right to personal liberty
14th Amendment
Right to equal protection and due process under the law
Limited government
Government only has those powers delegated to it by law, often through a written constitution, and its authority is restricted by the law.
Federalist Papers
Series of essays written in favor of the proposed Constitution and more centralized government authority following the Articles of Confederation
Due process
Government must follow certain procedures (like a fair trial) before they may deprive a person of a protected life, liberty, or property interest.
Baker vs Carr (1962): Ruling and constitutional justification
Supreme Court indeed has jurisdiction over redrawing elector districts in the interest of promoting equal protection (14th Amendment)
Supremacy Clause
Federal laws constitute the "supreme Law of the Land" and take priority over any conflicting state laws
Federalism
System of government controlled by two levels: federal and state/local. Generally, national government is responsible for broader governance, while the smaller subdivisions, states, and cities govern the issues of local concern.
Magna Carta
1215 English royal charter of rights, first document to put into writing the principle that the king and his government were not above the law.
Soft power
Diplomatic power attained through the use of cultural attractiveness (like protests or rallying massive international public support) rather than the threat of coercive action
Texas vs. Johnson (1989): Ruling and justification
Ruled that burning the American flag as an act of protest is protected under the First Amendment. Forms of protest, even if controversial, are constitutionally protected in the U.S.
9th Amendment
Right to unenumerated rights (i.e. rights not listed explicitly in the Constitution don't necessarily not exist)
Habeas corpus
Person under arrest must be brought before a judge or into court, innocent until proven guilty.
1936 Berlin Olympics
Nazis hide evidence of anti-Semitism and promote Aryan ideology during Games, Black man named Jesse Owens wins 6 medals and Hitler storms out
6th Amendment
Right to speedy and fair trial
Gibbons vs Ogden (1824): R&J
National government has exclusive power over interstate commerce, negating state laws interfering with the exercise of that power under the Commerce Clause.
Article I, Sections 2 and 3 (must get both right)
Set structure of representation for House and Senate (proportional for House, equal for Senate, respectively)
Justiciability
Types of matters that a court can adjudicate (rule on)
Murder trial of Samuel Sheppard
SCOTUS ruled that Sheppard did not receive a fair trial due to the Cleveland television media's repeated broadcasts of Sheppard's confession, the hostile media coverage, and the physical arrangement of the courtroom which facilitated collaboration between the prosecution and media
Rucho vs. Common Cause: R&J
Ruled that partisan gerrymandering claims are non-justiciable (cannot be determined in federal courts, too political): no clear, manageable standard for determining when partisan gerrymandering goes too far, can only be addressed at the state level thru elections. Effectively made partisan gerrymandering legal in most cases at the federal level (application of federalism)