Civil Rights & Liberties Flashcards
Legislation in the U.S. Constitution that speaks to citizenship and the equal rights of citizens
Fourteenth Amendment
The free flow of information, ideas, and opinions in our society
Freedom of Speech
The 1876 case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the second amendment applied only to the federal government, and that state governments could interfere with a person’s right to bear arms
U.S. v. Cruikshank
A law that prevents the U.S. government from creating legislation that would improperly mix church and state and from creating laws that favors/punishes one religion over another
The Establishment Clause
Grants the accused the right to confront the accuser, the right to a public trial, the right to a trial by jury, the right to a speedy trial, and the right to an adequate attorney.
Sixth Amendment
The clause in the First Amendment that prevents the U.S. government from penalizing a person based on his or her religious beliefs.
The Free Exercise Clause
Freedom of speech may be regulated if it involves obscene photos of minor children or anything that can dangerously disturb the peace. Time, place and manner are also considered.
Limitations on Freedom of Speech
Governments typically regulate the right of people to assemble if there is a compelling reason related to time, place, and manner, but it cannot impact the group’s rights to freedom of speech
Limitations on Freedom of Assembly
An individual’s right to live freely from unwarranted publicity and to be left alone
Right of Privacy
Free press may be regulated by the government if it can be determined to be too obscene or broadcasted while children can access it
Limitations on Free Press
The right for a group of people to gather in one place for a common purpose
Assembly
The landmark case in 1965 where the Supreme Court ruled that the Bill of Rights implied a right to privacy
Griswold v. Connecticut
The first 10 amendments of the United States Constitution
Bill of Rights
Rights that are promised to the people by legislation, court-made law, and by the U.S. Constitution
Civil Liberties
A Supreme Court case that ruled in favor of the rights of individual citizens to carry firearms, not just militias
District of Columbia v. Heller
The landmark case in the early 1800s that gave the U.S. Supreme Court the power to block unconstitutional legislation
Marbury v. Madison
A movement to preserve Native American culture and raise awareness about legislation regarding Native American land claims and adopting children with Native American ancestry
The American Indian Movement
A part of the Fourteenth Amendment that ensures no state can deny an individual within its jurisdiction equal protection of the laws
Equal Protection Clause
The 1896 case with which the Supreme Court ruled that segregation (‘separate but equal’) was constitutional.
Plessy v. Ferguson
A United Nations document that declares that all human beings are entitled to having their basic civil rights protected
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The clause in the First Amendment that prevents the U.S. government from passing laws that allow religious institutions and government agencies to blend, as well as preventing some religions to be favored over others.
The Establishment Clause
The individual right to worship freely, in any religion of one’s choosing, without interference from the state; inspired by early immigrants who fled to the U.S. for religious freedom
Freedom of Religion
An act that proposed denying federal benefits to same-sex couples that were legally married in their states; it was struck down by the Supreme Court
Defense of Marriage Act
Laws that were implemented after the Civil War, which allowed for segregation based on race
Jim Crow laws
Legislation that required constructed buildings and facilities to be accessible by people with physical disabilities
The Architectural Barriers Act
The Supreme Court case in 2010 that established that individuals are protected from unnecessary state and federal interference regarding the right to bear arms
McDonald v. Chicago
A doctrine encompassed in the First Amendment that is made up of the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause
Separation of Church and State Doctrine
An act that requires local, state and federal governments and programs, workplaces, restaurants, public entertainment facilities, etc. to provide reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities
Americans with Disabilities Act
A law that refused to give federal benefits to individuals in same-sex marriages. It was removed in 2013.
The Defense of Marriage Act
A law that prevents the U.S. government from penalizing an individual based on their religious beliefs
The Free Exercise Clause
Legislation that removed barriers (such as poll taxes or literacy tests) to the right to vote
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The case in which the Supreme Court ruled to desegregated schools and reversed the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
The Supreme Court case in 2008 that established an individual’s right to possess and carry firearms
District of Columbia v. Heller
Legislation that prevents discrimination based on disability in any program or service that receives federal funds
The Rehabilitation Act
An agency set up to combat discrimination based on race or gender. It ruled that it was against the law for companies to use sex-segregated employment ads.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
A consideration that uses race or gender to make decisions that will benefit a minority group or a group of people that have been discriminated against in the past
Affirmative Action
An individual’s right to buy and use a gun, expressed in the Second Amendment
Right to Keep and Bear Arms
The case in which the Supreme Court ruled that both federal and state governments could infringe upon the right to bear arms if it was not related to preserving well-regulated militia
U.S. v. Miller
