AP Government Unit 3

Civil Rights

Rights that protect individuals from discrimination and inequality, typically concerning people vs. people or minority vs. majority.

Civil Liberties

Individual rights protected from government interference, primarily outlined in the Bill of Rights.

Civil Law

Lawsuits and legal disputes between individuals.

Criminal Law

Body of law pertaining to misdemeanors and felonies.

Federal Judiciary

The system made up of 94 districts, 13 circuits, and 1 supreme court.

Appellate Jurisdiction

The authority of a court to review the legality of lower court rulings.

Original Jurisdiction

The authority of a court to hear a case first, typically in a trial.

District Courts

Courts that have original jurisdiction.

Circuit Courts of Appeal

Courts that have appellate jurisdiction.

Supreme Court

The highest court in the United States, which has both original and appellate jurisdiction.

Concurring Opinions

Agreements with the majority opinion but for different reasons.

Dissenting Opinions

Disagreements with the majority opinion.

Rule of Four

A requirement that at least four justices must agree to hear a case before it can be placed on the Supreme Court's docket.

Writ of Certiorari

An order by a higher court directing a lower court to send up a case for review.

Due Process of Law

The legal requirement that the state must respect all legal rights owed to a person; includes notice, hearing, ruling.

Procedural Due Process

Fairness implemented through legally binding laws, associated with judicial restraint.

Substantive Due Process

Fairness based on basic human rights, often associated with judicial activism.

Recess Appointments

Presidential appointments made when Congress is not in session, requiring confirmation by the end of the next session.

Strict Scrutiny

The highest level of judicial scrutiny applied to laws affecting race, nationality, religion, or fundamental rights.

De Jure Discrimination

Discrimination that is codified into law.

De Facto Discrimination

Discrimination that occurs in practice but is not codified into law.

Intermediate Scrutiny

Judicial standard applied to gender and content neutral speech, less stringent than strict scrutiny.

Rational Basis Scrutiny

The lowest level of scrutiny applied to laws that do not affect fundamental rights.

Incorporation Doctrine

The legal doctrine through which selected protections in the Bill of Rights are applied to the states.

Selective Incorporation

The process by which certain rights in the Bill of Rights are applied to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment.

Brown v. Board of Education

A landmark 1954 Supreme Court case declaring racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Engel v. Vitale

A 1962 Supreme Court case ruling that state-sponsored prayer in public schools violated the Establishment Clause.

Gideon v. Wainwright

A 1963 Supreme Court case ensuring that defendants have the right to counsel in state courts.

McDonald v. Chicago

A 2010 Supreme Court case that extended the Second Amendment's right to bear arms to state and local governments.

New York Times v. United States

A 1971 Supreme Court case ruling against prior restraint, protecting freedom of the press.

Schenck v. United States

A 1919 Supreme Court case that established the 'clear and present danger' test for free speech.

Wisconsin v. Yoder

A 1972 Supreme Court case holding that required schooling for Amish children beyond eighth grade violated their religious freedoms.

Tinker v. Des Moines

A 1969 Supreme Court case affirming students' right to free speech in schools.

Prior Restraint

An action taken by an authority to prevent publication or distribution of content before it is released.

Prior Review

Review of content by an authority before it is published without necessarily stopping it.