Majority rules
The majority in this case argued that corporate political spending is a form of protected speech because it does not directly contribute to candidates.
What is Citizens United v FEC (2010)?
This Anti-Federalist essay warned that a powerful judiciary would overshadow the legislative branch and endanger liberty.
What is Brutus I?
This foundational document justified breaking away from a government that failed to protect natural rights.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
The First Amendment was at the center of this case involving a student protest with black armbands.
What is Tinker v Des Moines (1969)?
The Supreme Court’s power of judicial review, established by Marbury v Madison (1803), increased this branch’s role in government.
What is the judicial branch?
The Court’s majority in this case justified striking down segregated public schools by citing the psychological harms caused to minority children.
What is Brown v Board of Education (1954)?
The dissent in this case argued that students' symbolic protests could disrupt school discipline and should not receive full First Amendment protection.
What is Tinker v Des Moines (1969)?
This 1960s voting rights case reinforced the democratic principle of "one person, one vote."
What is Baker v Carr (1962)?
Which Sixth Amendment right was directly reinforced by Gideon v Wainwright (1963)?
What is the right to counsel?
Because the Articles of Confederation lacked this power, the new Constitution explicitly granted Congress the authority to do it.
What is the power to tax?
In McCulloch v Maryland (1819), the majority justified the creation of a national bank under this doctrine, interpreting Congress's powers expansively.
What is implied powers / Necessary and Proper Clause?
Opponents of the Constitution’s ratification most feared this absence in the original document, leading to the first 10 amendments.
What is the Bill of Rights?
This Supreme Court case invalidated a state law that criminalized handgun possession, affirming the application of the Second Amendment at the state level.
What is McDonald v Chicago (2010)?
In Wisconsin v Yoder (1972), the Court ruled that mandatory school attendance laws violated this specific First Amendment freedom.
What is free exercise of religion?
The decision in McCulloch v Maryland (1819) reinforced this constitutional principle, helping to strengthen the authority of the national government.
What is federal supremacy?
In Baker v Carr (1962), the majority ruled that this constitutional principle justified federal courts reviewing legislative apportionment cases.
What is equal protection under the 14th Amendment?
Justice Black’s dissent in Engel v Vitale (1962) warned that the majority’s broad reading of the Establishment Clause could be seen as hostile toward religion, violating this core First Amendment protection.
What is free exercise of religion?
According to Federalist 51, this internal feature of government — making different parts compete against one another — would protect against tyranny.
What is separation of powers / checks and balances?
This early foundational document had no explicit protections for individual liberties, which caused major concern among Anti-Federalists.
What are the Articles of Confederation?
One major consequence of Citizens United v FEC (2010) was the rise of these political groups, which can spend unlimited amounts independently of candidates.
What are Super PACs?
The majority in New York Times Co. v United States (1971) emphasized that the government must meet this extremely high standard to justify prior restraint of speech.
What is proof of "grave and irreparable" danger?
In Schenck v United States (1919), later critics argued that the "clear and present danger" test overly restricted this core democratic right, especially during wartime.
What is freedom of speech?
Martin Luther King Jr. argued in his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" that this kind of law — even if passed democratically — has no moral legitimacy.
What is an unjust law?
The Espionage Act challenged in Schenck v United States (1919) was justified under government claims that this First Amendment right was not absolute during wartime.
What is freedom of speech?
Brown v Board of Education (1954) triggered this major movement in the 1950s and 1960s aimed at ending racial discrimination.
What is the Civil Rights Movement?