GOVT2305: American Government 2
Lectures 16: Major Court Cases
2025-01-01
Important court cases
Knowing what the court cases are basically about can help you eliminate really bad choices on the exam
- Know the general categories for each case (slide headings)
- Know the specific thing the case addressed (in parentheses by each case)
- Then try to know some details about the case
Important Court Cases (Government Structure)
- Marbury v. Madison (established judicial review)
- McCulloch v. Maryland (federalism - federal supremacy)
- Prinz v. United States (federalism - state’s not agents of the federal government)
- United States v. Nixon (executive privilege)
- Bush v. Gore (elections - equal protection applies to elections)
Important Court Cases (Civil Rights)
- Dred Scott v. Sandford (denied citizenship to African Americans - major spark of the Civil War)
- Plessy v. Ferguson (separate but equal allowed - Jim Crow laws)
- Brown v. Board of Education (overturned Plessy; separate is inherently unequal)
- Virginia v. Loving (interracial marriage - marriage is fundamental right)
- Obergefell v. Hodges (same sex marriage)
Important Court Cases (Civil Liberties)
- Griswold v. Connecticut (created the right to privacy - topic was birth control)
- Roe v. Wade (legalized abortion for first trimester, limited regulation in 2nd trimester to health of the woman, allowed prohibition to protect the fetus in the 3rd trimester)
- Casey v. Planned Parenthood (abortion - narrowed Roe v. Wade allowing more regulation of abortion)
Important Court Cases (Civil Liberties)
- Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (overturned Roe v. Wade and Casey - made abortion a state issue - does not ban abortion)
- Lawrence v. Texas (overturned state sodomy laws - right to privacy - ended persecution of homosexual sex)
Important Court Cases (Civil Liberties - Criminal Justice)
- Gideon v. Wainwright (right to counsel)
- Miranda v. Arizona (police must inform suspects of rights before questioning)
- Terry v. Ohio (stop and frisk; reasonable search during questioning)
- Mapp v. Ohio (exclusionary rule - evidence obtained illegally cannot be used in court)
Important Court Cases (Civil Liberties - Criminal Justice)
- Escobedo v. Illinois (right to counsel during questioning)
- Furman v. Georgia (death penalty - struck down all death penalty laws)
- Gregg v. Georgia (death penalty - reinstated death penalty)
- Roper v. Simmons (death penalty - cannot execute minors
- Atkins v. Virginia (death penalty - cannot execute mentally
Important Court Cases (Civil Liberties - First Amendment)
- Schenck v. United States(1917) (free speech - clear and present danger)
- West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943) (free speech - students cannot be forced to salute the flag)
- Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969) (free speech - imminent lawless action)
- Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) (free speech - students have free speech rights)
Important Court Cases (Civil Liberties - First Amendment)
- Cohen v. California (1971) (free speech - offensive speech is protected speech)
- Texas v. Johnson (free speech - flag burning is protected speech)
- Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (free speech - corporations have free speech rights)
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