Illinois Law School 1L Study Guide for Constitutional Law
I. The Constitution of the United States
A. Historical Context and Overview
1. Articles of Confederation
2. Constitutional Convention of 1787
3. Ratification Debates
B. The Structure of the Constitution
1. Preamble
2. Seven Articles
3. Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments
C. Principles of the Constitution
1. Federalism
2. Separation of Powers
3. Checks and Balances
4. Judicial Review (established by Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803))
II. Judicial Review and Interpretation
A. The Role of the Supreme Court
1. Case or Controversy Requirement
2. Standing
3. Mootness
4. Ripeness
5. Political Questions
B. Methods of Constitutional Interpretation
1. Textualism
2. Originalism
3. Structuralism
4. Pragmatism
5. Stare Decisis
III. Federal Legislative Power
A. Commerce Clause (Art. I, Sec. 8, Cl. 3)
1. Gibbons v. Ogden, 22 U.S. (9 Wheat.) 1 (1824)
2. Wickard v. Filburn, 317 U.S. 111 (1942)
3. United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549 (1995)
B. Taxing and Spending Power (Art. I, Sec. 8, Cl. 1)
1. United States v. Butler, 297 U.S. 1 (1936)
2. National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, 567 U.S. 519 (2012)
C. Necessary and Proper Clause (Art. I, Sec. 8, Cl. 18)
1. McCulloch v. Maryland, 17 U.S. (4 Wheat.) 316 (1819)
D. Limitations on Federal Legislative Power
1. Tenth Amendment
2. Non-delegation Doctrine
IV. Federal Executive Power
A. Scope of Executive Power
1. Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, 343 U.S. 579 (1952)
2. United States v. Nixon, 418 U.S. 683 (1974)
B. War Powers and Foreign Affairs
1. War Powers Resolution of 1973
2. Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507 (2004)
C. Executive Immunity and Privileges
1. Nixon v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 731 (1982)
2. Clinton v. Jones, 520 U.S. 681 (1997)
V. Federal Judicial Power
A. Article III of the Constitution
1. Scope of Judicial Power
2. Justiciability Doctrines
B. Federalism and the Eleventh Amendment
1. Sovereign Immunity
2. Ex parte Young, 209 U.S. 123 (1908)
VI. State Powers and the Tenth Amendment
A. Police Powers of the States
1. State Regulatory Powers
2. Preemption Doctrine
B. Dormant Commerce Clause
1. Cooley v. Board of Wardens, 53 U.S. (12 How.) 299 (1851)
2. South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., 138 S.Ct. 2080 (2018)
VII. Individual Rights and Liberties
A. The Bill of Rights
1. Application to the States through Incorporation (14th Amendment)
2. Selective Incorporation
B. Substantive Due Process
1. Lochner v. New York, 198 U.S. 45 (1905)
2. Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973)
3. Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992)
C. Equal Protection Clause (14th Amendment)
1. Standard of Review: Rational Basis, Intermediate Scrutiny, Strict Scrutiny
2. Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)
3. Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967)
D. First Amendment Freedoms
1. Speech and Expression: Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969)
2. Religion: Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause
3. Freedom of the Press
E. Right to Privacy
1. Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965)
VIII. Illinois Specific Constitutional Provisions
A. Illinois Constitution of 1970
1. Structure and distinct features from the U.S. Constitution
2. Illinois Bill of Rights
B. Notable Illinois Constitutional Law Cases
1. People ex rel. Harrod v. Illinois Courts Commission, 372 N.E.2d 53 (Ill. 1977)
2. Best v. Taylor Machine Works, 689 N.E.2d 1057 (Ill. 1997)
By understanding these fundamental concepts and cases, students should have a solid foundation to prepare for their Constitutional Law final exam. It is essential to analyze each case using the IRAC method (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion), and keep abreast of both federal and state debates, as state constitutions can provide more rights than the federal constitution, but never fewer.