Landmark Court Cases Inquiry
Each case comes with tons of visuals, videos, and information so students can learn about its constitutional connection, key facts, constitutional questions, holding, impact of case, connection to other cases, and critical questions. Each case includes a lesson, graphic organizer, and a completed rubric for teachers.
CLICK ON THE THUMBNAIL BELOW TO LEARN ABOUT EACH OF THE 14 LANDMARK SUPREME COURT CASES
Landmark Cases Rubric
Complete this graphic organizer for each case of the fourteen required landmark Supreme Court Cases.
Rank the Landmark Cases
They’re all important (that’s why we call them landmark cases), but which ones stand out at the tip top of all court cases?
Constitutional Connection
What’s the constitutional connection to each case?
Constitutional Speculation
Imagine the current Supreme Court reheard the 14 landmark cases. How would they rule, and why?
Landmark Court Case Project
Use our engaging Landmark Case project to make your court case knowledge stick
Interactive Court Cases Timeline
All the landmark Supreme Court cases in a row with essential knowledge and links.
Prepare for the 2025 AP® US Government Exam with High Five! Our Exam Review guide is completely redesigned and updated with over 140 pages of great AP Exam review material. Tons of completed graphic organizers are full of information to get you exam-ready in a flash.
This 2025 exam guide is an instant download and contains all the following resources.
Overview of the U.S. Government and Politics exam.
Completed graphic organizers for all required documents + Supreme Court cases.
Guide to the skills and content for all 5 course units.
Essential vocabulary with link to online glossary.
Tons of Graphic Organizers with answers from each course unit.
GoPo Pro Tips.
Exam review Guides.
Amazing AI generated images of the Framers of the Constitution giving high fives!
Full Length AP multiple choice + Free Response Exam with Key.
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Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
Constitutional Connection
1st Amendment
Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that defined and protected First Amendment rights of students in U.S. public schools.
Mar Beth and John Tinker (doesn’t he look just a little bit like Adam Scott?)
Key Facts
In December 1965, a group of students in Des Moines held a meeting in the home of 16-year-old Christopher Eckhardt to plan a public showing of their support for a truce in the Vietnam war. They decided to wear black armbands throughout the holiday season and to fast on December 16 and New Year's Eve. The principals of the Des Moines school learned of the plan and met on December 14 to create a policy that stated that any student wearing an armband would be asked to remove it, with refusal to do so resulting in suspension. On December 16, Mary Beth Tinker and Christopher Eckhardt wore their armbands to school and were sent home. The following day, John Tinker did the same with the same result. The students did not return to school until after New Year's Day, the planned end of the protest. Through their parents, the students sued the school district for violating the students' right of expression and sought an injunction to prevent the school district from disciplining the students. The district court dismissed the case and held that the school district's actions were reasonable to uphold school discipline. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the decision without opinion.
“It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.
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Big Question
Does a prohibition against the wearing of armbands in public school, as a form of symbolic protest, violate the students' freedom of speech protections guaranteed by the First Amendment?
Holding
7-2 Justice Abe Fortas delivered the opinion of the 7-2 majority. The Supreme Court held that the armbands represented pure speech that is entirely separate from the actions or conduct of those participating in it. The Court also held that the students did not lose their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech when they stepped onto school property. In order to justify the suppression of speech, the school officials must be able to prove that the conduct in question would "materially and substantially interfere" with the operation of the school. In this case, the school district's actions evidently stemmed from a fear of possible disruption rather than any actual interference.
Impact of case
The landmark decision in Tinker v. Des Moines is widely considered the watershed of students' free speech rights at school. By deciding that school officials cannot censor student speech unless it materially and substantially disrupts the educational process the court set a precedent that is still cited in student free speech cases.
Connections
Tinker v. Des Moines is still cited in student free speech cases, including Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier and Morse v. Frederick and remains a frequently cited Supreme Court precedent. Thanks to the ruling, over the years the ACLU has successfully defended the right of students to wear an anti-abortion armband, a pro-LGBT T-shirt, and shirts critical of political figures. Most recently, Tinker has been upheld in Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. a case involving student speech rights on Snapchat.
Critical Questions
Does Tinker v. Des Moines give students unlimited speech freedom at work.
Do you think that current levels of student free speech are appropriate?
How did Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. uphold the Tinker ruling.
Do you agree with the Court’s decision to protect student speech rights?
How would our country and your school be different without the ruling from Gideon?
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