15 Supreme Court Cases AP Gov: The Essential List

If you’re memorizing the required list for your exam, the 15 supreme court cases ap gov students must know are the ones the College Board explicitly names in the AP U.S. Government and Politics course description. They span federalism, civil liberties, civil rights, and elections — and every one of them can show up in a free-response question or as the anchor of a required Supreme Court comparison. Below, they’re grouped by theme with the holding and constitutional principle you actually need to recall.

Federalism and the Balance of Power

These cases define how power is divided between the national government and the states.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Maryland taxed the Second Bank of the United States; the Court struck the tax down. Chief Justice Marshall held that Congress has implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause and that states cannot tax the federal government. This established national supremacy and a broad reading of federal power that still frames debates over everything from health care to environmental regulation.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

A student brought a gun to school, and the federal government prosecuted him under the Commerce Clause. The Court ruled that Congress had exceeded its commerce power because carrying a gun in a local school zone was not economic activity. It was the first case since 1937 to limit Commerce Clause authority, reviving interest in dual federalism limits.

Civil Liberties: Speech, Religion, and the Accused

These cases interpret the First and Fourth through Sixth Amendments against government action.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

New York required a short, voluntary prayer in public schools. The Court held it violated the Establishment Clause even though the prayer was nondenominational and students could opt out. This set the standard for separation of church and state in public schools.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Amish parents were fined for keeping children out of school past eighth grade. The Court sided with the parents, holding that the Free Exercise Clause protected their religious practice against the state’s compulsory attendance law. The case illustrates how religious liberty can outweigh a neutral state requirement.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Students wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War and were suspended. The Court ruled that students do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate, protecting symbolic speech unless it substantially disrupts school operations.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

During World War I, Schenck distributed leaflets urging resistance to the draft. The Court upheld his conviction and introduced the clear and present danger test — speech can be restricted when it creates a real threat of harm. Though later narrowed, it’s the origin point for free-speech limits.

New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

The Nixon administration tried to block publication of the Pentagon Papers. The Court refused, holding that prior restraint carries a heavy presumption against its constitutionality. This is the leading press freedom case.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Gideon was denied a lawyer in a felony trial because Florida only appointed counsel in capital cases. The Court held that the Sixth Amendment requires states to provide counsel to indigent defendants. It’s the classic example of selective incorporation applying the Bill of Rights to the states.

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

Chicago’s handgun ban was challenged after D.C. v. Heller recognized an individual right to bear arms. The Court incorporated the Second Amendment against the states through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. You’ll compare this with Heller on the required list of cases.

Civil Rights and Equal Protection

These cases define what the Equal Protection Clause requires and where race-conscious policy may go.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

The Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson’s “separate but equal” doctrine, holding that racial segregation in public schools violates the Equal Protection Clause. It became the legal foundation for the civil rights movement and the end of de jure segregation.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Tennessee had not redrawn legislative districts for decades despite population shifts. The Court held that reapportionment claims are justiciable — not political questions — opening the door to federal courts fixing unequal districts. It led directly to Reynolds v. Sims’ one-person, one-vote rule.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

North Carolina drew a bizarrely shaped majority-minority district. The Court held that racial gerrymandering can violate equal protection and must survive strict scrutiny, even when intended to help minority voters.

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

The Court struck down limits on independent political expenditures by corporations and unions, holding that such spending is protected speech under the First Amendment. It reshaped campaign finance and fueled the rise of super PACs.

Marbury v. Madison (1803) and the Structure of Judicial Review

Although often taught alongside the required cases, Marbury is the anchor for understanding how the Court asserts authority at all. Marshall ruled that the Court could not issue a writ of mandamus because the statute granting that power was unconstitutional, thereby establishing judicial review — the power to declare acts of Congress void. Every required case you cite rests on this authority. You can read the full opinion at the Supreme Court’s site, and the National Constitution Center has a helpful explainer on how review evolved.

How to Use These Cases on the Exam

The AP exam rewards precision about holdings, not trivia. A short worked example: if a prompt asks whether a state law banning religious headwear in public schools is constitutional, identify it as a Free Exercise dispute, cite Yoder for the principle that neutral laws can still burden religious practice, and compare it with Engel on establishment. Oyez is the fastest way to check a holding and the vote split when you’re unsure.

Use a simple prep method: for each case, write the constitutional clause, the holding in one sentence, and one later case that built on or limited it. That triplet format matches how free-response rubrics award points.

Key Takeaways

• The required list centers on federalism, civil liberties, civil rights, and elections — know each holding, not just the name.
• McCulloch and Lopez anchor federal power; Brown, Baker, and Shaw frame equal protection.
• Engel, Yoder, Tinker, Schenck, and New York Times cover First Amendment limits.
• Gideon and McDonald illustrate selective incorporation; Citizens United governs campaign speech.
• Marbury v. Madison supplies the judicial review power every other case depends on.
• For each case, memorize the clause, the holding, and one linked precedent to earn free-response credit.