civil rights/liberties vocab

Alien

foreign born resident or non-citizen

Resident Alien

a person from a foreign nation who has established permanent residence in the united states

Non-resident Alien

a person from a foreign nation who expects to stay in the us for a short, specified period of time

Enemy alien

a citizen of a nation with which the us is at war with

Illegal alien

a person without legal permission to be in a country

Amnesty

a blanket pardon offered to a group of law violators

Naturalization

the legal process by which citizens of one country become citizens of another

Jus soli

the law of soil, which determines citizenship based on the citizenship of one’s parents

Jus sanguinis

the law of blood, which determines citizenship based on the citizenship of one’s parents

Expatriation

the legal process by which a loss of citizenship occurs

Denaturalization

the process through which naturalized citizens may involuntarily lose their citizenship

Exclusionary rule

ruling stating that evidence gained as the result of an illegal act by police cannot be used against the person from whom it was seized

Counsel

attorney/lawyer

Refugee

one who leaves his or her homeland to seek protection from war, persecution, or some other danger

Self-incrimination

testifying against oneself

Double jeopardy

part of the 5th amendment stating that no person can be put in jeopardy of life or limb twice; once a person has been tried for a crime, he or she cannot be tried again for the same crime

Rational basis test

test in which the court asks whether the classification in a law has a reasonable relationship to the achievement of a proper government purpose

Fundamental rights

group of rights that have been recognized by the supreme court as requiring high degree of protection from the government; rights that go to the heart of the american system like the right to freely travel between states, vote, 1st amendment

Discriminate

treat certain categories of people differently than people falling into other categories

Affirmative action

a policy of taking active steps to remedy past discrimination

Writ of habeas corpus

court order that prevents unjust arrests and imprisonments

Bill of attainder

legislative act that inflicts punishment without a court trial

Strict scrutiny test

test in which the court holds the classification in a law to a higher standard; the state or federal government must show that its law not related to an ordinary governmental purpose but to a compelling government interest

Civil liberties

guarantees of the safety of person, opinions, and property from the arbitrary acts of government, including freedom of speech and freedom of living

Civil rights

term used for positive acts of government that seek to make constitutional guarantees a reality for all people eg prohibitions of discrimination

Immigrants

those people legally admitted as permanent residents of a country