Tier One
Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review in the United States, meaning that American courts have the power to strike down laws, statutes, and some government actions that they find to violate the Constitution of the United States
What is Marbury v. Madison (1803) ?
U.S. Supreme Court decision that defined the scope of the U.S. Congress's legislative power and how it relates to the powers of American state legislatures.
What is McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)?
Was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protects a pregnant woman's liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction.
What is Roe v. Wade (1973)?
Adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. The Declaration summarized the colonists' motivations for seeking independence.
What is The Declaration of Independence?
"The Executive Department Further Considered", is an essay written by Alexander Hamilton arguing for a single, robust executive provided for in the United States Constitution.
What is Federalist 70?
Was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court concerning enforcement of the Espionage Act of 1917 during World War I.
What is Schenck v. the United States (1919)?
Was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality.
What is Brown v. Board of Education (1954)?
Was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in the area of redistricting and racial gerrymandering. The court ruled in a 5-4 decision that redistricting based on race must be held to a standard of strict scrutiny under the equal protection clause.
What is Shaw v. Reno (1993)?
Was an agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first constitution. It was approved after much debate by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and sent to the states for ratification.
What is the articles of confederation?
Was for Martin Luther King Jr. to respond to a group of white clergy who had criticized his use of nonviolent civil disobedience in Birmingham, Alabama.
What is letter from Birmingham jail?
Was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools. Engel has been the subject of intense debate.
What is Engel v. Vitale (1962)?
Was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that redistricting qualifies as a justiciable question, thus enabling federal courts to hear redistricting cases.
What is Baker v. Carr (1962)?
Was a landmark case of the United States Supreme Court concerning the Commerce Clause. It was the first case since 1937 in which the Court held that Congress had exceeded its power to legislate under the Commerce Clause.
What is United States v. Lopez (1995)?
Separates the powers of government into three branches: the legislative branch, which makes the laws; the executive branch, which executes the laws; and the judicial branch, which interprets the laws.
What is The Constitution?
Is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the seventy-eighth of The Federalist Papers. Like all of The Federalist papers, it was published under the pseudonym Publius.
What is Federalist 78?
Is a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court unanimously held that in criminal cases states are required under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to provide an attorney to defendants who are unable to afford their own attorneys.
What is Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)?
The Supreme Court ruled that public school officials cannot censor student expression unless they can reasonably forecast that the speech will substantially disrupt schoolactivities or invade the rights of others.
What is Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)?
Decision of the Supreme Court of the United States that found that the right of an individual to "keep and bear arms," as protected under the Second Amendment, is incorporated by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and is thereby enforceable against the states. The decision cleared up the uncertainty left in the wake of District of Columbia v. Heller(2008) as to the scope of gun rights in regard to the states.
What is McDonald v. Chicago (2010)?
Was the pen name of an Antifederalist in a series of essays designed to encourage New Yorkers to reject the proposed Constitution. -The Supremacy Clause & Necessary & Proper Clause will give the federal government uncontrollable power!
What is Brutus No.1 ?
"The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments", is an essay by James Madison, the fifty-first of The Federalist Papers.
What is Federalist 51?
Was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court on the First Amendment. The ruling made it possible for The New York Times and The Washington Post newspapers to publish the then-classified Pentagon Papers without risk of government censorship or punishment.
What is New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)?
Is the case in which the United States Supreme Court found that Amish children could not be placed under compulsory education past 8th grade. The parents' fundamental right to freedom of religion was determined to outweigh the state's interest in educating their children.
What is Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)?
Was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States concerning campaign finance. It was argued in 2009 and decided in 2010.
What is Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)?
Is an essay written by James Madison as the tenth of The Federalist Papers, a series of essays initiated by Alexander Hamilton arguing for the ratification of the United States Constitution.
What is Federalist Paper No.10?
Extra: The United States Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution.
What is The Bill of Right?