Name that case
This case established the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review.
What is Marbury v Madison (1803)?
This foundational document outlines natural rights like “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.
What is the Declaration of Independence (1776)?
The primary author of the Declaration of Independence.
Who is Thomas Jefferson?
This case ruled that states must provide legal counsel to defendants who cannot afford an attorney.
What is Gideon v Wainwright (1963)?
This document was created in 1787 and later amended to include the Bill of Rights, protecting freedoms such as speech, religion, and the press.
What is the Constitution (1791 Bill of Rights)?
This case ruled that schools could not lead students in prayer, even if it was voluntary.
What is Engel v Vitale (1962)?
This amendment was central to the Court’s ruling that Chicago must respect individuals’ right to bear arms.
What is the Second Amendment (McDonald v Chicago, 2010)?
This document warned that a large central government would threaten individual liberties and lead to tyranny.
What is Brutus I (1787)?
In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that state laws requiring children to attend public schools violated religious freedom.
What is Wisconsin v Yoder (1972)?
Written during the civil rights movement, this document by Martin Luther King Jr. defends nonviolent protest against unjust laws.
What is the Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963)?
This case protected the right of students to wear armbands in protest of the Vietnam War.
What is Tinker v Des Moines (1969)?
This part of the Constitution, interpreted broadly in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), allows Congress to make laws necessary to carry out its enumerated powers.
What is the Elastic Clause / Necessary and Proper Clause?
This Federalist Paper argues that ambition must counteract ambition to preserve liberty.
What is Federalist 51 (1787)?
This case said that government could limit speech during wartime if it posed a “clear and present danger”.
What is Schenck v United States (1919)?
This Federalist Paper warned about the dangers of factions but argued that a large republic could best control them — an issue still relevant in debates over political polarization today.
What is Federalist 10?
This case struck down part of the Gun-Free School Zones Act, saying Congress exceeded its power under the Commerce Clause.
What is United States v Lopez (1995)?
In Citizens United v. FEC (2010), this part of the First Amendment was interpreted to protect corporate political spending.
What is Freedom of speech?
This foundational document was replaced because it created a weak national government that could not tax or regulate commerce.
What are the Articles of Confederation (1781)?
In this case, the Court sided with the press, ruling that prior restraint of classified documents was unconstitutional.
What is New York Times Co. v United States (1971)?
This Supreme Court case reversed Plessy v. Ferguson by declaring that "separate but equal" was unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
What is Brown v Board of Education (1954)?
This case limited racial gerrymandering by ruling that race cannot be the dominant factor in drawing congressional districts.
What is Shaw v Reno (1993)?
This constitutional principle was reinforced in Baker v. Carr (1962) when the Court said federal courts could intervene in redistricting issues.
What is equal protection (14th Amendment)?
This Federalist Paper defends the idea of an independent judiciary and the concept of judicial review.
What is Federalist 78 (1787)?
This landmark case overturned Plessy v Ferguson and declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
What is Brown v Board of Education (1954)?
This 1819 Supreme Court case established that federal laws are supreme over state laws — a principle still central to debates about federalism today.
What is McCulloch v Maryland (1819)?