LAW SCHOOL Cheat Sheet 2026

The 19 highest-yield LAW SCHOOL facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. In Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971), the Supreme Court established a three-part test for evaluating laws under which constitutional provision? → The Establishment Clause
2. The Eleventh Amendment generally bars federal courts from hearing suits: → Against a state brought by citizens of another state or foreign citizens
3. The Due Process Clause appears in which constitutional amendments? → Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments
4. Gender-based classifications by the government are evaluated under which standard of review? → Intermediate scrutiny
5. The Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment requires the government to provide just compensation when it: → Takes private property for public use
6. Which Supreme Court case established the principle of judicial review, allowing courts to invalidate laws that conflict with the Constitution? → Marbury v. Madison
7. Which Supreme Court decision held that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms for self-defense in the home? → District of Columbia v. Heller
8. Under the Non-Delegation Doctrine, Congress may delegate legislative power to administrative agencies so long as it provides: → An intelligible principle to guide the agency's exercise of delegated authority
9. The Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution is found in which Article? → Article VI, Clause 2
10. Under the Commerce Clause, Congress may regulate which of the following under the post-New Deal doctrine? → Channels, instrumentalities, and activities substantially affecting interstate commerce
11. Under First Amendment jurisprudence, which type of government restriction on speech is subject to the highest level of judicial scrutiny? → Content-based restrictions
12. Which level of scrutiny applies to government classifications based on race or national origin under the Equal Protection Clause? → Strict scrutiny
13. Which doctrine holds that most provisions of the Bill of Rights apply to state governments through the Fourteenth Amendment? → Incorporation doctrine
14. In Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952), Justice Jackson's famous concurrence outlined how many zones of presidential power? → Three
15. The 'political question doctrine' holds that federal courts should decline to resolve disputes that are: → Committed to a coordinate political branch or lack judicially manageable standards
16. To establish Article III standing, a plaintiff must demonstrate all of the following EXCEPT: → A constitutional or statutory right explicitly enumerated in the Bill of Rights
17. What does 'substantive due process' protect, as distinguished from 'procedural due process'? → Certain fundamental rights from government interference regardless of the procedures used
18. Executive privilege — the President's right to keep executive communications confidential — was addressed by the Supreme Court in: → United States v. Nixon
19. Which constitutional provision prevents states from passing laws that impair the obligation of contracts already in existence? → The Contracts Clause (Article I, Section 10)