Important Supreme Court Cases and Civil Rights Legislation

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key Supreme Court cases and civil rights legislation.

Bostock v. Clayton County (2020)

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Racial segregation in public schools was ruled unconstitutional because 'separate but equal' is inherently unequal.

Civil Rights Act of 1875

This law attempted to desegregate public accommodations.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

This law banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Civil Rights Cases (1883)

The Supreme Court ruled that the federal government could not ban private acts of discrimination.

Defense of Marriage Act (1996)

Defined marriage for federal purposes as one man and one woman.

Desegregation

Ending legal separation of races in public facilities.

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' (1994)

Policy stating soldiers could serve if they did not disclose their sexual orientation.

Equal Pay Act (1963)

Made it illegal to pay men and women differently for the same work.

Equal Protection Clause (Fourteenth Amendment)

Requires states to provide equal protection of the laws to all persons.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA, 1972)

Proposed to guarantee equal legal rights for all genders.

Fifteenth Amendment (1870)

Prohibited denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous servitude.

Freedom-of-Choice Plans

Allowed families to choose schools but kept segregation in practice.

Fourteenth Amendment (1868)

Guarantees due process and equal protection under state laws.

Grandfather Clause

Allowed people to bypass literacy tests if their ancestors voted before the Civil War.

Jim Crow Laws

Designed to enforce racial segregation in the South.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Best known for advocating nonviolent civil disobedience.

Lawrence v. Texas (2003)

Struck down laws banning same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults.

'Letter from a Birmingham Jail'

Martin Luther King Jr. argued individuals have a moral duty to oppose unjust laws through nonviolence.

Purpose of Literacy Tests

Prevent certain groups, especially African Americans, from voting.

Majority-Minority Districts

Election districts where the majority of voters are racial or ethnic minorities.

National Women’s Organization (NOW)

Primarily supports women’s rights and gender equality.

Nineteenth Amendment (1920)

Granted voting rights to women.

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

Legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Established the doctrine of 'Separate but equal'.

Strict Scrutiny

Applied when laws affect fundamental rights or suspect classifications like race.

Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg (1971)

Approved the use of busing to integrate schools.

Title IX (1972)

Bans discrimination based on sex in any education program receiving federal funding.