AP GOV unit 3 vocab

Bill of Attainder

A legislative act that declares a specific person or group guilty of a crime and punished without a judicial trial

Civil rights

Legal entitlements created by laws that ensure individuals receive equal treatment and protection from discrimination

Civil liberties

Constitutionally protected freedoms for the people against government restraint

Due process

The constitutional guarantee that all levels of government must act fairly and follow established legal procedures before depriving individuals of life, liberty, and property.

Establishment clause

Prohibits the federal and state governments from creating an official religion, favoring one religion over another, or favoring religion over non-religion

Exclusionary rule

A supreme court ruling that established a legal principle prohibiting the use of illegally obtained evidence

Libel vs Slander

Libel and slander are both forms of defamation

Libel

written or published defamation, such as in print, pictures, or online

Slander

Oral and involves false statements that damaged a person’s reputation

Prior restraint

Government censorship that prohibits speech or other expression before it can take place 

Symbolic Speech

Nonverbal, nonwritten forms of communication 

Warren Court

The Court from (1953-1969) led by Chief Justice Earl Warren

A landmark liberal Supreme Court era that focused on expanding civil rights, liberties, and judicial power 

Americans with Disabilities Act

A landmark civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disability in employment, public accommodations, transportation, and state/local government services.

Civil rights act of 1964

A landmark federal law that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, or national origin.

Equal protection clause

Prohibits states from denying any person equal protection under the laws

Disenfranchisement

The revocation or denial of voting rights to specific individuals or groups

Poll tax

A fixed fee voting requirement was used to disenfranchise African Americans and poor white.

Separate but equal doctrine

Established by the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson, held that racial segregation did not violate the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.

Title IX

A federal civil rights law that prohibits sex based discrimination in education programs.

Arraignment

The initial court proceeding in a criminal case where the defendant is formally charged, advised of their rights, and enters a plea 

Clear and Present Danger Test

A First Amendment legal standard allowing the government to restrict speech that poses an immediate, serious threat to public safety

Engel V. Vitale

Voluntary prayer in public schools violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause

Wisconsin V. Yoder

Amish parents' First Amendment right to free exercise of religion outweighs the state’s interest in forcing children to attend school beyond the eighth grade

Tinker v. Des Moines

Public school students do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.

New York Times v. US

The government cannot use prior restraint to prevent publication of classified materials unless it proves a direct, immediate threat to national security.

Schnck v. US

The First Amendment does not protect speech creating a "clear and present danger" to national security

USA freedom act

A US law that replaced the USA patriot act, curbing the government’s bulk collection of telecommunication metadata

Commercial speech

Any communication that promotes a commercial transaction or proposes a business opportunity

Defamation of Character

The act of harming a person's reputation through false, published statements

Ex Post Facto Laws

Laws that change the legal consequences of actions committed before the law was enacted.

Free Exercise Clause

a First Amendment provision prohibiting the government from restricting an individual's right to practice their religion

Hate Speech

Communication that attacks, threatens, or degrades individuals or groups based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender

Gag order

A judge issued a legal restriction prohibiting attorneys, defendants, or witnesses from discussing a specific case publicly

Incorporation theory/doctrine/selective incorporation

a constitutional doctrine where the Supreme Court gradually applies most Bill of Rights protections to state governments on a case-by-case basis

Probable Cause

A legal standard under the Fourth Amendment requiring law enforcement to have reasonable grounds for a search

Non-Protected Speech

Categories of expression not shielded by the First Amendment are subject to government regulation

Political Speech

Expression discussing government affairs, public policies, candidates, or political issues

Privacy rights

a non-enumerated, implied constitutional right protecting individuals from unwarranted government interference in personal, intimate decisions

Write of Habeas Corpus

A protected judicial order directing law enforcement or government officials to produce a detained person before a court and justify their imprisonment

Affirmative Action

Policies designed to address past discrimination and promote equal opportunity for marginalized groups

Civil Disobedience

A form of political participation involving the conscious, nonviolent, and public refusal to obey laws deemed unjust or immoral

Civil law

The body of rules defining relationships, disputes, and grievances between private parties, rather than criminal matters

Criminal law

A body of rules under which the government prosecutes individuals for acting against public safety or welfare, resulting in penalties

De Facto Segregation

Racial separation that occurs in reality, rather than by legal mandate

De Jure Segregation

Racial separation mandated by law, legally enforced by government regulations

Grandfather clause

19th-century Southern U.S. legal provision that exempted citizens from new voting restrictions if their ancestors had voted before 1867

Literacy tests

Discriminatory voting requirement used primarily in the Southern U.S., designed to suppress minority turnout, specifically Black citizens, by assessing reading skills

Suffrage

The legal right to vote in public, political elections

Subpoena

A legal, binding order issued by a court to compel individuals to testify or produce evidence/documents

14th amendment

Grants citizenship to all born/naturalized in the U.S

“Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 1963

a foundational text of the Civil Rights Movement defending nonviolent direct action to combat segregation, written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

1st amendment

Prohibits Congress from restricting freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition

2nd amendment

The right to bear arms

3rd amendment

No quartering of soldiers

4th amendment

Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures

5th amendment

No self incrimination

6th amendment

Fair trial for people accused of a crime

7th amendent

Right to jury in civil cases

8th amendment

No excessive bail, or cruel and unusual punishment

9th amendment

rights not specifically enumerated in the constitution are still retained by the people

10th amendment

Any power not given to the government are given to the states