FCLE Landmark Supreme Court Cases 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) upheld racial segregation under the doctrine of:
- Separate but equal (Correct answer)
- Strict scrutiny
- Reasonable basis review
- Affirmative accommodation
Correct answer: Separate but equal
The Court ruled that 'separate but equal' facilities did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment, a ruling later overturned by Brown v. Board of Education.
Question 2: In Loving v. Virginia (1967), the Supreme Court struck down laws that prohibited:
- Voting by citizens of different races
- Interracial marriage (Correct answer)
- School integration
- Affirmative action hiring
Correct answer: Interracial marriage
The Court unanimously ruled that Virginia's anti-miscegenation laws violated both the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Question 3: What right did Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) recognize for the first time?
- The right to an abortion
- A constitutional right to privacy within marriage (Correct answer)
- The right to refuse medical treatment
- Equal pay for equal work
Correct answer: A constitutional right to privacy within marriage
The Court found a right to marital privacy in the 'penumbras' of the Bill of Rights, striking down Connecticut's ban on contraceptive use by married couples.
Question 4: The ruling in Texas v. Johnson (1989) protected which form of expression?
- Anti-war speeches on military bases
- Flag burning as political protest (Correct answer)
- Hate speech directed at minorities
- Anonymous campaign literature
Correct answer: Flag burning as political protest
The Court held that burning the American flag as political protest is protected symbolic speech under the First Amendment.
Question 5: In Korematsu v. United States (1944), the Supreme Court upheld the government's authority to:
- Intern citizens of German descent during World War II
- Exclude Japanese Americans from the West Coast during World War II (Correct answer)
- Suspend the writ of habeas corpus during wartime
- Conduct warrantless searches during national emergencies
Correct answer: Exclude Japanese Americans from the West Coast during World War II
The Court controversially upheld the exclusion of Japanese Americans from certain areas, though the decision has since been widely condemned and formally repudiated.
Question 6: Which Supreme Court case first established the power of judicial review?
- McCulloch v. Maryland
- Marbury v. Madison (Correct answer)
- Gibbons v. Ogden
- Fletcher v. Peck
Correct answer: Marbury v. Madison
In Marbury v. Madison (1803), Chief Justice John Marshall established that the Supreme Court has the authority to strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution.
Question 7: The Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) held that:
- States may define marriage as they choose
- Same-sex couples have a fundamental right to marry nationwide (Correct answer)
- Civil unions satisfy constitutional equality requirements
- Congress must pass a law legalizing same-sex marriage
Correct answer: Same-sex couples have a fundamental right to marry nationwide
The Court ruled 5-4 that the Fourteenth Amendment requires all states to license and recognize same-sex marriages.
FCLE Landmark Supreme Court Cases 3
Plessy v.
Ferguson (1896) upheld racial segregation under the doctrine of: