Landmark Supreme Court cases

From A+ Club Lesson Planner & Study Guide

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Short list of Landmark Supreme Court cases[edit | edit source]

  • cases as generally recommended for minimual study of the AP Gov exam
- ruled that the Judiciary Act of 1793 is illegal under the constitution, thus establishing "judicial review" - created the power of the Courts to invalidate statutory laws based upon their "constitutionality" - Marbury lost his case, as the Court ruled that any legal remedy due to him was from an invalid law
Case Date Court Big Ideas/ Court Doctrine Constitutional Issues Constitutional Issues Issues / Background / Description / Opinion Dissent (if relevant) Related Cases
Baker v. Carr 1961 Warren
  • "One person one vote" standard
  • Political Question doctrine
equal protection (14th amendment) judicial review - held that the state of Tennessee had ignored a 1901 state law that required redistricting to be adjusted according to census results;

the state had not drawn new districts since 1901, resulting in overrepresentation of rural over urban citizens

- the court held that challenges to state districting (gerrymandering) issues were not merely "political questions" and thus subject to Court review

- the Court was split on the case and the case had to be re-argued

- Justice Brennan argued that redistricting is a political question and should be left up to the states

- Justice Frankfurter held that the decision was "judicial overreach"

  • Reynolds v. Sims (1964)
  • Shaw v. Reno , 1993)
Marbury v. Madison 1803 Marshall Judicial supremacy - federalism

- constitutional interpretation by the Court

affirmed concept of "legal remedy"[1]
none


Full list of Landmark Supreme Court cases[edit | edit source]

Landmark Supreme Court cases: alphabetical[edit | edit source]

Landmark Supreme Court cases: by date & historical era[edit | edit source]

Landmark Supreme Court cases: by topic[edit | edit source]

  1. Marshall invoked (referenced) the ancient Roman legal maxim ubi jus, ibi remedium for "where there is a legal right, there is a legal remedy"