AP Gov Supreme Court Cases Cheat Sheet (All 15 + How to Learn)

7 min read · FlashDeck

This AP Gov Supreme Court cases cheat sheet gives you all 15 required cases with a one-line holding each, grouped by amendment so they actually stick. Short version: learn each case as name → constitutional issue → what the Court decided, drill them with cards in both directions (case to ruling, ruling to case), and practice plugging them into the SCOTUS comparison FRQ.

If the case names blur together the week before your unit test or the AP exam, FlashDeck turns your notes on the required cases into question-and-answer cards and keeps showing you the ones you miss: Build my study plan.

The required AP Gov cases

These are the 15 required Supreme Court cases for AP U.S. Government and Politics. Always double-check the current list on the College Board's AP Gov course page, since the course framework is what the exam is built on.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Schenck v. United States (1919)
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Baker v. Carr (1962)
Engel v. Vitale (1962)
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)
New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)
Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
Roe v. Wade (1973)
Shaw v. Reno (1993)
United States v. Lopez (1995)
McDonald v. Chicago (2010)
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Most of them sit in Unit 3 (civil liberties and civil rights), which is why "AP Gov unit 3 Supreme Court cases" is such a common search. McCulloch and Lopez usually come up in Unit 1 (federalism), Marbury, Baker and Shaw in Unit 2, and Citizens United in Unit 5.

AP Gov Supreme Court cases cheat sheet: each case in one line

This is the actual cheat sheet. Learn the one-liner, not the whole backstory.

Case	Issue	One-line holding
Marbury v. Madison	Judicial power	Established judicial review: courts can strike down laws that violate the Constitution.
McCulloch v. Maryland	Federalism	Congress has implied powers (necessary and proper clause), and states can't tax the federal government (supremacy clause).
Schenck v. U.S.	1st Amendment speech	Speech creating a "clear and present danger" (anti-draft leaflets in WWI) isn't protected.
Brown v. Board	14th Amendment equal protection	Racially segregated public schools are unconstitutional; overturned "separate but equal."
Baker v. Carr	Redistricting	Courts can hear redistricting cases, opening the door to "one person, one vote."
Engel v. Vitale	1st Amendment establishment clause	School-sponsored prayer in public schools is unconstitutional, even if voluntary.
Gideon v. Wainwright	6th Amendment right to counsel	States must provide a lawyer to defendants in felony cases who can't afford one.
Tinker v. Des Moines	1st Amendment symbolic speech	Students' armband protest was protected speech; schools can limit speech only if it substantially disrupts.
NYT Co. v. U.S.	1st Amendment press	The government couldn't block publication of the Pentagon Papers; strong presumption against prior restraint.
Wisconsin v. Yoder	1st Amendment free exercise	Amish families' free exercise outweighed the state's interest in schooling past 8th grade.
Roe v. Wade	Right to privacy (14th)	Extended the right to privacy to a woman's decision to have an abortion, with limits. Overturned in 2022 by Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
Shaw v. Reno	14th Amendment equal protection	Congressional districts drawn mainly by race face strict scrutiny (racial gerrymandering).
U.S. v. Lopez	Federalism, commerce clause	Congress overstepped the commerce clause with the Gun-Free School Zones Act; a limit on federal power.
McDonald v. Chicago	2nd and 14th Amendments	The right to keep and bear arms applies to the states (selective incorporation).
Citizens United v. FEC	1st Amendment speech	Independent political spending by corporations and unions is protected speech.

Knowing about the Roe to Dobbs change is useful for your class discussions and argument essays. Follow what your teacher and the current College Board materials say about how it's tested.

Group cases by amendment (ap gov court cases review)

Fifteen random names is a lot. Five small groups is easy. This is the single best way to do an AP Gov required court cases review:

1st Amendment speech and press (4): Schenck, Tinker, NYT v. U.S., Citizens United.
1st Amendment religion (2): Engel (establishment), Yoder (free exercise).
Rights of the accused and incorporation (2): Gideon (6th), McDonald (2nd).
Equal protection and privacy (3): Brown, Shaw, Roe.
Federalism and power (4): Marbury, McCulloch, Lopez, Baker.

Mini hooks for the groups

Religion: "Engel ended prayer, Yoder kept kids home."
Federalism flip: McCulloch = feds win, Lopez = feds lose. They're the two ends of the same debate, so study them as a pair.
Speech limits: "Schenck says stop, Tinker says talk." Schenck limits speech, Tinker protects it (with the disruption test).
Brown and Shaw both use equal protection, one on schools, one on districts.

How to memorize cases fast

Here's a method that doesn't take all weekend:

One-liner first. Say the case name and the holding out loud, like a caption on a TikTok.
Add the clause. Which part of the Constitution was it about? That's what FRQs need.
Make a picture. Tinker = kid with a black armband. Gideon = a guy writing a letter from prison (he did petition the Court by handwritten letter). Marbury = a judge holding a red "X" stamp.
Quiz both ways. "What did Engel decide?" and "Which case banned school-sponsored prayer?" Tests go both directions.
Space it out. Review on day 1, 2, 4 and 7, not all at once.

That's the part that falls apart solo. You can't really tell whether you know Shaw or just recognize the name, and you won't remember to re-check it in four days.

FlashDeck handles the spacing and the self-checking. Paste this cheat sheet or your own court case notes, and it writes one card per case and holding. Each day it shows only the cards you're about to forget: tap Knew it or Missed it, and misses come back tomorrow. Build my study plan

Using cases in the SCOTUS FRQ

The AP Gov exam includes a SCOTUS comparison FRQ. You get a description of a case you probably haven't studied and have to compare it to one of the required cases. So knowing the required case is only half the game; you need the constitutional principle it stands for.

A simple template:

Identify the shared clause. "Both cases involve the First Amendment's establishment clause."
Explain the required case's holding. "In Engel v. Vitale, the Court ruled school-sponsored prayer violated the establishment clause."
Connect or contrast. "Similarly, in the case described, the school-led prayer at graduation..."
Answer the last part (often about how the public, Congress or states might respond).

If you know the clause behind every case, you can handle whatever new case they throw at you. The grouping above does double duty here.

Printable cheat sheet (ap gov important court cases)

Copy this onto one index card or sticky note:

Marbury – judicial review
McCulloch – implied powers, fed supremacy
Schenck – clear and present danger
Brown – no school segregation
Baker – courts can hear redistricting
Engel – no school prayer
Gideon – right to a lawyer
Tinker – student speech (armbands)
NYT v. U.S. – no prior restraint
Yoder – Amish free exercise
Roe – privacy, abortion (overturned 2022)
Shaw – racial gerrymandering
Lopez – commerce clause limit
McDonald – 2nd Amendment applies to states
Citizens United – political spending is speech

Then try a landmark Supreme Court cases quiz on yourself: cover the right side and say every holding.

Stacking up other memorization this year? See how to memorize the presidents in order and the 50 states and capitals.

Walk into your AP Gov test knowing every case

That's the AP Gov Supreme Court cases cheat sheet: 15 one-liners, five groups, and a plan for the SCOTUS FRQ. Paste this list or your class notes into FlashDeck, get cards in seconds, and spend about ten minutes a day on only the cases you're about to forget.

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FAQ

How many required Supreme Court cases are there in AP Gov?

The AP U.S. Government and Politics course framework lists 15 required Supreme Court cases, from Marbury v. Madison to Citizens United v. FEC. Check the College Board's current course materials to make sure your list matches.

What's the fastest way to memorize AP Gov required court cases?

Group them by amendment or theme, learn a one-line holding for each, and quiz yourself in both directions. Review over several days instead of in one sitting, and spend most of your time on the cases you keep missing.

Which AP Gov Unit 3 Supreme Court cases should I know?

Unit 3 (civil liberties and civil rights) holds most of them: Engel, Yoder, Tinker, Schenck, NYT v. U.S., Gideon, Roe, McDonald and Brown. They cover speech, religion, the rights of the accused, privacy and equal protection.

How do I use Supreme Court cases on the AP Gov FRQ?

On the SCOTUS comparison question, name the constitutional clause both cases share, explain the required case's holding, then connect or contrast it with the new case. Knowing the principle behind each case matters more than the backstory.

Is there a landmark Supreme Court cases quiz I can use?

You can quiz yourself with the printable list above by covering the holdings. FlashDeck can also turn pasted notes into cards and schedule them with spaced repetition, and you can share a deck with classmates by link.