AP Gov Supreme Court Cases: All 14 Required Cases Explained

AP US Government and Politics currently has 14 required Supreme Court cases: Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Schenck v. United States, Brown v. Board of Education, Baker v. Carr, Engel v. Vitale, Gideon v. Wainwright, Tinker v. Des Moines, New York Times Co. v. United States, Wisconsin v. Yoder, Shaw v. Reno, United States v. Lopez, McDonald v. Chicago, and Citizens United v. FEC. For each one, you need to know the facts, the constitutional clause involved, the holding, and the reasoning well enough to compare it with a case you have never seen. Older study guides list 15 cases because they include Roe v. Wade, which College Board removed after the Court's 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

The 14 required AP Gov Supreme Court cases at a glance

This list matches the current AP US Government and Politics Course and Exam Description on AP Central.

The cases grouped by what they teach

Memorizing 14 cases in chronological order is the hardest way to learn them. Group them by the concept they illustrate, because that is how exam questions use them.

Federalism and the powers of Congress

• McCulloch v. Maryland (1819): Maryland taxed the Second Bank of the United States. The Court held that the Necessary and Proper Clause gives Congress implied powers, and the Supremacy Clause prevents states from taxing a federal institution. This case expands national power.
• United States v. Lopez (1995): A student was charged under the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. The Court held that carrying a gun near a school is not economic activity substantially affecting interstate commerce, so Congress exceeded its Commerce Clause power. This case limits national power and favors the states.

These two make a natural pair: one expands federal authority, the other sets a boundary on it.

The judiciary and checks and balances

• Marbury v. Madison (1803): William Marbury sued for his undelivered commission as a justice of the peace. The Court ruled that part of the Judiciary Act of 1789 was unconstitutional, establishing judicial review, the foundation of the Court's power to check Congress and the president.

First Amendment: religion

• Engel v. Vitale (1962): New York public schools opened the day with a state-composed prayer. The Court held that this violated the Establishment Clause.
• Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972): Amish parents refused to send their children to school past eighth grade. The Court held that compulsory attendance beyond that point violated the Free Exercise Clause.

Use these two to show the difference between the Establishment Clause (government may not sponsor religion) and the Free Exercise Clause (government may not unduly burden religious practice).

First Amendment: speech and press

• Schenck v. United States (1919): Charles Schenck distributed leaflets urging men to resist the World War I draft. The Court upheld his conviction under the Espionage Act, introducing the "clear and present danger" test.
• Tinker v. Des Moines (1969): Students wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. The Court held that students do not lose their free speech rights at school and that symbolic speech is protected unless it substantially disrupts school.
• New York Times Co. v. United States (1971): The Nixon administration sought to block publication of the classified Pentagon Papers. The Court ruled against prior restraint, holding that the government had not met its heavy burden.
• Citizens United v. FEC (2010): A nonprofit corporation wanted to air a film critical of Hillary Clinton close to the 2008 primaries. The Court held that independent political spending is protected speech and struck down limits on corporate and union independent expenditures.

Civil liberties and selective incorporation

• Gideon v. Wainwright (1963): Clarence Gideon was tried for a felony in Florida without a lawyer. The Court incorporated the Sixth Amendment right to counsel against the states through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause.
• McDonald v. Chicago (2010): Chicago effectively banned handgun ownership. The Court incorporated the Second Amendment against the states.

These are your two clearest examples of selective incorporation, a term the exam expects you to use correctly.

Civil rights and equal protection

• Brown v. Board of Education (1954): Segregated public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson in public education.
• Baker v. Carr (1962): Tennessee had not redrawn its legislative districts in decades, leaving rural voters overrepresented. The Court held that apportionment challenges are justiciable.
• Shaw v. Reno (1993): North Carolina drew an oddly shaped majority-minority congressional district. The Court held that districts drawn predominantly on the basis of race are subject to strict scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause.

How are the cases used on the AP Gov exam?

The exam is fully digital in Bluebook. Section I has 55 multiple-choice questions in 80 minutes; Section II has 4 free-response questions in 100 minutes. Each section is worth 50%.

One free-response question, the SCOTUS Comparison, gives you a nonrequired case and asks you to compare it with a required case. You will typically need to identify a constitutional provision the cases share, explain how the facts or reasoning of the required case relate to the new case, and connect the decision to a broader political response or principle.

Worked example: a SCOTUS comparison

Suppose the prompt describes Morse v. Frederick (2007), in which a high school student unfurled a banner reading "BONG HiTS 4 JESUS" at a school-supervised event, and the Court upheld the principal's decision to suspend him.

A strong response compares it with Tinker: "Both cases involve the First Amendment free speech rights of public school students. In Tinker v. Des Moines, the Court protected students' armbands because their political message did not substantially disrupt school. In Morse v. Frederick, the Court reached a different outcome because the banner could reasonably be read as promoting illegal drug use, which schools have an important interest in discouraging."

Notice the structure: shared clause, the required case's facts and holding, then the reason the outcomes differ.

How do you memorize the required cases?

1. Learn each case in four lines: facts, constitutional question, holding, significance.
2. Pair cases that contrast: McCulloch and Lopez (federal power), Engel and Yoder (religion clauses), Schenck and Tinker (limits on speech).
3. Practice with nonrequired cases: Take any recent Supreme Court decision, identify which required case it most resembles, and write a three-sentence comparison.
4. Know the clause, not just the amendment: "First Amendment" is too vague; "Establishment Clause" is what earns points.

The argument essay draws instead on required foundational documents. Note that for the 2026-27 school year, College Board added four: the Emancipation Proclamation, Federalist No. 39, the Gettysburg Address, and core principles from Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations.

To estimate your score from practice tests, use the AP US Government score calculator. Cutoffs are not published in advance, so treat the result as an estimate.

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