AP Gov Ch 4 Semia Sims Flashcards
The Crown v. Zenger (1735)
Legal case in the colony of New York that is considered a precursor to free press provisions in the Constitution. The case did reflect a difference between British authorities and colonists with regard to press freedoms
civil liberties
The personal guarantees and freedoms that the government cannot abridge by law, constitution, or judicial interpretation
civil rights
The government-protected rights of individuals against arbitrary or discriminatory treatment by governments or individuals
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which largely guarantee specific rights and liberties
Ninth Amendment
Part of the Bill of Rights that makes it clear that enumerating rights in the Constitution or Bill of Rights does not mean that others do not exist
Tenth Amendment
The final part of the Bill of Rights that defines the basic principle of American federalism in stating that the powers not delegated to the national government are reserved to the states or to the people
Fourteenth Amendment
One of three major amendments enacted after the Civil War, extending ¨equal protection of the law¨ to all citizen
due process clause
Clause contained in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments; over the ears, it has been construed to guarantee a variety of rights to individuals
substantive due process
Judicial interpretation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments´ due process clauses. Protects citizens from arbitrary or unjust state or federal laws
sedition laws
Laws that make it illegal to speak or write any political criticism that threaten to diminish respect for the government, its laws, or public officials. State sedition laws were overturned as a result of the 1925 Gitlow Supreme Court decision 65
Gitlow v. New York (1925)
A Supreme Court case that extended the First Amendment´s protections of freedom of speech and of the press to the state government
incorporation doctrine
An interpretation of the Constitution holding that the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment requires state and local governments to guarantee the rights stated in the Bill of Right
selective incorporation
A judicial doctrine whereby most, but not all, protections found in the Bill of Rights are made applicable to the states vie the Fourteenth Amendment
fundamental freedoms
Those rights defined by the Court as essential to order , liberty, and justice and therefore entitled to the highest standard of review
Warren Court
The period in Supreme Court history during which Earl Warren served as Chief Justice (1953-1969), noted for its many rulings expanding civil liberties and civil rights
Earl Warren
The fourteenth Chief Justice of the United States who served from 1953 to 1969 and the Court through an important liberal phase; previously a Republican governor and vice presidential nominee
First Amendment
Part of the Bill of Riclghts that imposes a number of restrictions on the federal government with respect to civil liberties, including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition
establishment clause
The first clause of the First Amendment ; it directs the national government not to sanction an official religion
free exercise
The second clause of the First Amendment; it prohibits the U.S. government from interfering with a citizen´s right to practice his or her religion
Lemon test
The three-part test enunciated in Lemon v. Kurtzman is used to assess whether a law violates the Establishment Clause. The “Establishment Clause” was intended to prevent any governmental endorsement or support of religion.
prior restraint
Constitutional doctrine that prevents the government from prohibiting speech or publication before the fact; generally held to be in violation of the First Amendment
Alien and Sedition Acts
Laws passes in 1798 that allowed the imprisonment and deportation of aliens considered dangerous and criminalized false statements against the government
abolitionist
A supporter, especially in the early nineteenth century, of an end to the institution of slavery
Abraham Lincoln
Sixteenth president of the United States, the first elected Republican president, who served from 1861-1865.