AP Gov Required Court Cases Cheat Sheet 2026
Quick Answer: Does AP Gov provide a formula sheet or case list? No — all 15 required Supreme Court cases and 9 foundational documents must be memorized. These cases appear directly on both MC and FRQ sections every year.
College Board requires AP Government students to know 15 specific Supreme Court cases. These cases appear on both the multiple choice and free response sections. For each case, know: the issue, the holding, and why it matters constitutionally.
Quick Reference Table — All 15 Cases
| Case | Issue | Holding / Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Marbury v. Madison (1803) | Judicial review | Established judicial review — Supreme Court can strike down laws that violate the Constitution |
| McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) | Federal vs. state power | Congress has implied powers (elastic clause); states cannot tax federal institutions |
| Schenck v. United States (1919) | 1st Amendment — free speech | "Clear and present danger" test; speech that poses immediate danger is not protected |
| Brown v. Board of Education (1954) | 14th Amendment — equal protection | Racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional; overturned Plessy v. Ferguson |
| Engel v. Vitale (1962) | 1st Amendment — Establishment Clause | State-sponsored prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause |
| Baker v. Carr (1962) | Equal protection — legislative apportionment | Federal courts can hear redistricting cases; "one person, one vote" principle |
| Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) | 6th Amendment — right to counsel | States must provide attorneys to defendants who cannot afford one (incorporated via 14th) |
| Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) | 1st Amendment — student speech | Students do not "shed constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate"; symbolic speech protected |
| New York Times v. United States (1971) | 1st Amendment — prior restraint | Government cannot impose prior restraint on press (Pentagon Papers case) |
| Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) | 1st Amendment — Free Exercise Clause | Amish families cannot be compelled to send children to school past 8th grade; religious liberty |
| Roe v. Wade (1973) | 14th Amendment — privacy/due process | Right to abortion protected under privacy doctrine (overturned by Dobbs v. Jackson, 2022) |
| Shaw v. Reno (1993) | 14th Amendment — racial gerrymandering | Race cannot be the predominant factor in drawing congressional districts |
| United States v. Lopez (1995) | Commerce Clause limits | Congress exceeded Commerce Clause power with Gun-Free School Zones Act; first limit on federal power since 1930s |
| McDonald v. Chicago (2010) | 2nd Amendment — incorporation | 2nd Amendment right to bear arms applies to states via 14th Amendment |
| Citizens United v. FEC (2010) | 1st Amendment — political spending | Corporations and unions have 1st Amendment right to spend unlimited money on political speech |
Cases by Constitutional Principle
Judicial Power
- Marbury v. Madison — judicial review established
- Baker v. Carr — courts can rule on political questions (reapportionment)
Federalism (Federal vs. State Power)
- McCulloch v. Maryland — implied powers; supremacy of federal law
- United States v. Lopez — limits on Commerce Clause
First Amendment — Speech & Press
- Schenck v. US — clear and present danger test
- Tinker v. Des Moines — student symbolic speech
- NY Times v. US — no prior restraint on press
- Citizens United v. FEC — money as political speech
First Amendment — Religion
- Engel v. Vitale — no state-sponsored school prayer (Establishment)
- Wisconsin v. Yoder — religious exemption from compulsory education (Free Exercise)
14th Amendment — Equal Protection & Due Process
- Brown v. Board — desegregation
- Shaw v. Reno — racial gerrymandering
- Roe v. Wade — privacy/due process (overturned 2022)
Bill of Rights — Incorporation
- Gideon v. Wainwright — 6th Amendment right to counsel incorporated
- McDonald v. Chicago — 2nd Amendment incorporated
What AP Readers Expect
On the AP Gov FRQ, you will often be asked to:
- Identify the constitutional principle a case established
- Compare two cases that address the same issue (e.g., Tinker vs. a later student speech case)
- Apply a precedent to a new scenario — explain why the ruling would or would not apply
Always state: (1) what the Court held and (2) which constitutional provision it was based on.
How to Memorize All 15 Cases
- Group by constitutional provision — don't memorize all 15 as a flat list. Group them: 1st Amendment (5 cases), 14th Amendment (3 cases), federalism (2 cases), etc. Each group shares a theme that makes individual cases easier to recall.
- Know the year and context — Marbury (1803) = early republic; Brown (1954) = Civil Rights era; Citizens United (2010) = modern campaign finance. Context helps anchor the holding.
- Learn the comparison pairs — FRQs often ask you to compare two cases. Key pairs: Tinker vs. Bethel/Hazelwood (student speech limits), Engel vs. Yoder (Establishment vs. Free Exercise), McCulloch vs. Lopez (federal power expansion vs. limitation).
- One sentence per case — write a single-sentence summary of what each case held and which constitutional provision it involved. This is exactly what FRQ graders want.
- Practice applying cases to new scenarios — AP Gov FRQs describe a new situation and ask which precedent applies and why. Practice this with hypotheticals: "A school bans students from wearing protest armbands. Which case is most relevant?"
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Supreme Court cases do you need to know for AP Gov?
College Board specifies exactly 15 required Supreme Court cases. These are the only cases you are guaranteed to be tested on directly. Knowing additional cases can help with context but is not required.
Is Roe v. Wade still on the AP Gov exam after Dobbs?
Yes. Roe v. Wade (1973) remains on College Board's required case list as of 2026 because it established the constitutional privacy doctrine that shaped decades of jurisprudence. The Dobbs decision (2022) overturning it is also taught as a contemporary development, but Roe remains a required foundational case.
What is the SCOTUS comparison FRQ on AP Gov?
One of the four AP Gov FRQ types asks you to compare a required SCOTUS case to a new, non-required case provided in the prompt. You must identify a constitutional similarity or difference and explain the reasoning in each case. Knowing your 15 required cases cold is essential for this question.