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Civil Liberties |
The legal constitutional protections against the government; defined in the Bill of Rights. |
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Bill of Rights |
First 10 amendments to the Constitution. |
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First Amendment |
Establishes the 4 great liberties: freedom of the press, of speech, of religion, and of assembly. |
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Fourteenth Amendment |
"No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." |
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Due Process Clause |
Part of the 14th amendment that guarantees that people cannot be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process. |
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Incorporation Doctrine |
The legal concept under which the Supreme Court has nationalized the Bill of Rights by making most of its provisions applicable to the states through the 14th amendment. |
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Establishment Clause |
Part of the 1st amendment that states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." |
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Free Exercise Clause |
A 1st amendment provision that prohibits government from interfering with the practice of religion. |
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Prior Restraint |
A government and its actions preventing material from being published. Censorship. |
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Shield Laws |
Laws created to protect news reporters from being forced to testify in courts or disclose confidential information. |
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Libel |
The publication of false or malicious statements that damage someone’s reputation. |
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Slander |
The verbal expression of false or malicious statements that damage someone’s reputation. |
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Symbolic Speech |
Nonverbal communication, such as burning a flag or wearing an armband. |
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Commercial Speech |
Communication in the form of advertising. |
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Federal Communications Commission |
Regulates the content, nature, and existence of radio and television broadcasting. |
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Probable Cause |
The situation occurring when police have reason to believe that a person should be arrested. In making the arrest, police are legally allowed to search for and seize incriminating evidence. |
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Unreasonable Search and Seizures |
Obtaining evidence in a haphazard or random manner, a practice prohibited by the 14th amendment. Probable cause and/or a search warrant are required for a legal and proper search for and seizure of incriminating evidence. |
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Search Warrant |
A written authorization from a court specifying the area to be searched and what the police are searching for. |
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Exclusionary Rule |
The rule that evidence, no matter how incriminating, cannot be introduced into a trial if it was not constitutionally obtained. |
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Fifth Amendment |
An amendment designed to protect the rights of persons accused of crimes, including protection from double jeopardy, self-incrimination, and punishment without due process of law. |
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Self-incrimination |
The situation occurring when an individual accused of a crime is compelled to be a witness against himself or herself in court. |
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Sixth Amendment |
An amendment designed to protect individuals accused of crimes. It includes the right to counsel, the right to confront witnesses, and the right to a speedy and public trial. |
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Plea Bargaining |
A bargain struck between the defendant’s lawyer and the prosecutor to the effect that the defendant will plead guilty to a lesser crime (or fewer crimes) in exchange for the state’s promise not to prosecute the defendant for a more serious (or additional) crime. |
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Cruel and Unusual Punishment |
Court sentences prohibited by the 8th amendment. |
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Right to Privacy |
The right to a personal life free from the intrusion of the government. |
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