Landmark Supreme Court Cases Flashcards

Which landmark case held that the Bill of Rights applies to state governments through the Fourteenth Amendment?

Answer: Gitlow v. New York

Gitlow v. New York (1925) was the first case to incorporate a Bill of Rights provision (free speech) against the states via the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause.

In Lawrence v. Texas (2003), the Supreme Court struck down sodomy laws by finding that they violated:

Answer: The Fourteenth Amendment's liberty interest in private consensual conduct

The Court overruled Bowers v. Hardwick and held that consensual intimate conduct between adults is protected by the liberty interest in the Due Process Clause.

What did the Supreme Court establish in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)?

Answer: Race-based quotas in university admissions are unconstitutional, but race may be a factor

Justice Powell's controlling opinion struck down rigid racial quotas but permitted race to be considered as one factor among many in holistic admissions decisions.

The Supreme Court addressed the rights of enemy combatants in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (2004), ruling that:

Answer: Citizens held as enemy combatants must be given a meaningful opportunity to contest their detention

The Court held that a U.S. citizen designated an enemy combatant must receive notice of the factual basis for classification and a fair opportunity to rebut the government's assertions.

In Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the Supreme Court invalidated a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because:

Answer: The coverage formula used to determine which jurisdictions needed federal approval was outdated

The Court held that the formula in Section 4(b) determining which states must obtain federal 'preclearance' before changing voting laws was based on decades-old data and was unconstitutional.

Which constitutional principle did Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) clarify?

Answer: Congress has broad authority to regulate interstate commerce

Chief Justice Marshall ruled that the power to regulate interstate commerce belonged exclusively to Congress, striking down New York's attempt to grant a monopoly on steamboat navigation.

The Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) held that the Second Amendment protects:

Answer: An individual right to possess firearms unconnected to militia service

The Court ruled 5-4 that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to keep firearms for self-defense, striking down D.C.'s handgun ban.