Chapter 15 Test Review Political Science

Bills of Attainder

Laws that declare a person or group guilty of a crime and punish them without a judicial trial.

Civil Liberties

Freedoms and protections from government interference, such as freedom of speech, religion, and privacy.

Civil Rights

Legal protections that guarantee equal treatment and prohibit discrimination based on characteristics such as race, sex, or other protected categories.

Clear & Present Danger Test

A test used to determine whether government may restrict speech when the speech creates a clear and present danger of causing serious harm.

Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment

A provision requiring states to provide fair legal procedures and, through incorporation, protecting certain fundamental rights from state government interference.

Establishment Clause

The First Amendment provision that prevents the government from establishing or officially supporting a religion.

Ex Post Facto Law

A law that retroactively makes an action criminal or increases the punishment for an action that was already committed.

Exclusionary Rule

A rule that generally prevents illegally obtained evidence from being used in a criminal trial.

Fighting Words

Words directed at another person that are intended to provoke an immediate violent reaction and may receive less First Amendment protection.

Free-Exercise Clause

The First Amendment provision protecting an individual's right to practice their religion, subject to constitutional limits.

Free Expression Clauses

First Amendment protections concerning freedom of speech and freedom of the press, protecting people's ability to express ideas and opinions.

Good Faith Exception

An exception to the exclusionary rule allowing illegally obtained evidence to sometimes be used when police reasonably believed they were acting legally.

Miranda Warnings

Warnings police must generally give to a person in custody before custodial interrogation, informing them of important constitutional rights, including the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney.

Prior Restraint

Government action that prevents speech or publication before it occurs rather than punishing it afterward.

Public Figures

People who are prominent or involved in public affairs and therefore generally face a higher standard for proving certain defamation claims.

Strict Scrutiny

The most demanding level of judicial review. A government action affecting a fundamental right or involving certain classifications must serve a compelling governmental interest and be narrowly tailored to achieve that interest.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which protect individual rights and limit government power.

Dobbs v. Jackson

A Supreme Court case listed as a supplemental reading on the review sheet concerning constitutional abortion rights.