AP GOV 15 ESSENTIAL COURT CASES
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS.
marbury v. madison (1803) ANS -facts: in 1803, at the end of his term, President John Adams appointed
many new judges through the passing of the Judiciary Act of 1801.
William Marbury was appointed as a Justice of the Peace and was approved by the senate, but the
commission to accept his job was never delivered to him by James Madison.
Once President Thomas Jefferson began his term, he appointed someone else to the position, so
Marbury appealed against Madison directly to the Supreme Court.
issue/principle: what was the extent of the Supreme Court's power regarding judicial review in ARTICLE
III, SECTION 2 of the constitution?
holding/ruling: the SC decided unanimously that Marbury was entitled to his position. This set a
precedent that allowed them to declare laws unconstitutional, such as the Judiciary Act of 1801.
established: JUDICIAL REVIEW
-idea of judicial review previewed in federalist 78, but NOT in the constitution
mcculloch v. maryland (1819) ANS -facts: in 1816, the federal government made the Second Bank of the
US with branches in multiple states. In 1818, Maryland passed a law taxing the bank.
McCulloch was the bank manager in Baltimore who refused to pay the tax. He sued first in state court
and then appealed to the Supreme Court.
issue: 1) was the federal bank itself unconstitutional?
2) was the law that allowed the tax unconstitutional for interfering with congressional powers?
, principle: Necessary and Proper Clause in Article 1, Section 8
holding: In a unanimous decision, the SC ruled that the bank was CONSTITUTIONAL and that states could
not impose taxes on the government since they aren't sovereign.
established: enumerated powers within the necessary and proper clause, and it LEGITIMIZED THE
POWER OF THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT OVER STATES!!!!
united states v. lopez ANS -facts: In 1992, a high school senior named Alfonso Lopes was arrested for
bringing a gun to school. He was tried and convicted for violating a federal criminal statute, the GUN-
FREE SCHOOL ZONES ACT OF 1990. He appealed the decision to the SC.
issue: 1) Is the Gun-Free School Zones Act unconstitutional because it exceeds the power of Congress to
legislate under the Commerce Clause?
principle: Commerce Clause in Article 1, Section 8
holding: The SC decided that the Act was unconstitutional because the possession of a gun in school had
no substantial effect on interstate commerce.
established: is an example of when the federal government oversteps it's constitutional authority
through the commerce clause.
baker v. carr (1962) ANS -facts: in 1960, Tennessee had not redrawn it's districts in many years despite
the 1901 law that required them to reapportion seats according to the population.
Charles Baker sued the state because his county's population had grown but did not benefit from
increased representation in the state legislature. Carr was the secretary of the state.
issues: 1) did Tennessee's refusal to redistrict violate the Fourteenth Amendment?
principle: the Equal Protection (of the law) Clause of the 14th Amendment
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