Chapters 4 and 5 Review: Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, and Supreme Court Cases

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Supreme Court cases, constitutional amendments, civil liberties, and civil rights topics from Chapters 4 and 5 review notes.

Kennedy v. Bremerton

Supreme Court case ruling in favor of football coach Joseph Kennedy, holding that his personal religious expressions on the field were protected by the First Amendment and strengthening protections for individual religious expression.

Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado

Supreme Court case ruling in favor of a baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple based on his religious beliefs, highlighting the tension between religious freedom and anti-discrimination laws.

Engel v. Vitale

Supreme Court case ruling that official state-approved prayer in public schools is unconstitutional because public schools cannot officially organize or sponsor prayer under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Dred Scott v. Sanford

Supreme Court decision ruling that African Americans were not citizens and could not sue in federal court, denying citizenship and protections to Black Americans and escalating tensions leading to the Civil War.

Tinker v. Des Moines

Supreme Court case establishing that students retain First Amendment free-speech rights at school—such as wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War—as long as the expression does not cause disruption to school activities.

Wisconsin v. Yoder

Supreme Court case ruling that Wisconsin's education law requiring school attendance past eighth grade violated Amish parents' First Amendment right to freely exercise their religion.

Gideon v. Wainwright

Supreme Court case establishing the right to legal counsel for indigent felony defendants in criminal cases under the Sixth Amendment.

Indigent Defendant

An accused person in a criminal case who does not have enough money to hire a private lawyer or pay for legal defense costs.

Lawrence v. Texas

Supreme Court case ruling that a Texas law criminalizing private consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults was unconstitutional under the liberty protections of the Fourteenth Amendment.

New York Times v. US

Supreme Court decision that strongly protected freedom of the press by rejecting the government's attempt to use prior restraint to stop the publication of the classified Pentagon Papers.

Obergefell v. Hodges

Supreme Court case ruling that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry, requiring states to license and recognize same-sex marriages.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme Court case that established the 'separate but equal' doctrine, ruling that racial segregation did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment and giving constitutional approval to racial segregation.

Brown v. Board of Education

Supreme Court ruling that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional because separate educational facilities are inherently unequal, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.

Griswold v. Connecticut

Supreme Court case ruling that a state law banning contraceptives was unconstitutional because the Constitution protects a right to marital privacy.

McDonald v. Chicago

Supreme Court case ruling that the Second Amendment right to bear arms applies to state and local governments through incorporation.

Mapp v. Ohio

Supreme Court ruling that established the exclusionary rule, holding that evidence obtained through an unconstitutional search generally cannot be used in state criminal trials.

Exclusionary Rule

A legal principle from Mapp v. Ohio stating that evidence obtained through unconstitutional searches and seizures cannot be used against a defendant in state criminal trials under the Fourth Amendment.

Civil Liberties

Basic freedoms and protections that the government cannot take away without proper legal justification, mainly protected by the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment.

Selective Incorporation

The process of applying the Bill of Rights to state and local governments through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which protect individual freedoms such as speech, religion, guns, privacy, and rights of the accused.

Federalists

Group led by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison that supported the Constitution, advocated for a stronger national government, and believed individual rights were already sufficiently protected.

Antifederalists

Group led by Patrick Henry and George Mason that opposed or criticized the Constitution as originally written, fearing national government overreach and demanding a Bill of Rights to protect individual freedoms.

14th Amendment Due Process Clause

Constitutional clause stating that the government cannot take away a person's life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

Establishment Clause

A provision of the First Amendment prohibiting the government from establishing or officially promoting a religion.

Free Exercise Clause

A provision of the First Amendment protecting an individual's right to freely practice their religion.

Libel

A false WRITTEN statement that can harm someone's reputation.

Slander

A false SPOKEN statement that can harm someone's reputation.

Double Jeopardy

Fifth Amendment protection prohibiting a person from being prosecuted twice for the same offense after a verdict is announced.

Eminent Domain

The power of the government to take private property for public use, provided it pays just compensation.

Separate but Equal Doctrine

Legal doctrine associated with Plessy v. Ferguson asserting that racial segregation was constitutional if supposedly equal facilities were provided; rejected in Brown v. Board of Education.

Prior Restraint

An action where the government attempts to stop speech or publication before it actually occurs.

Probable Cause

A reasonable basis to believe that a crime has occurred or that evidence of a crime will be found.

Warrant

A court-authorized order allowing law enforcement officers to conduct a search or execute an arrest.

Miranda Rights

Required warnings police must give during custodial interrogations, including the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, and the right to an appointed attorney if indigent.

Clear and Present Danger Test

An older First Amendment legal standard from Schenck v. United States evaluating whether speech creates a clear and present danger of serious harm that the government can prevent.

Direct Incitement Test

A First Amendment standard allowing the government to punish speech intended and likely to incite or produce imminent lawless action.

Miller Test

A legal standard used to determine whether material is legally obscene and thus unprotected by the First Amendment.

Gun Control Act of 1968

A federal law expanding firearms regulation, dealer requirements, and buyer restrictions following several high-profile assassinations in the 1960s.

Brady Bill

A federal law establishing background check requirements for firearm purchases from federally licensed dealers.

Ninth Amendment

Amendment stating that people retain rights beyond those specifically enumerated in the Constitution.

Tenth Amendment

Amendment stating that powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states or to the people.

Thirteenth Amendment

Amendment that abolished slavery in the United States, except as punishment for a crime after conviction.

Fourteenth Amendment

Amendment establishing birthright citizenship, equal protection under the laws, and due process protections against state government actions.

Fifteenth Amendment

Amendment prohibiting state and federal governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Civil Rights

Legal protections against discrimination and unequal treatment by governments or private entities.

Disenfranchisement

The act of depriving an individual or group of the right to vote.

14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause

Constitutional requirement that state governments must provide equal protection of the laws to all individuals within their jurisdictions.

De Jure Segregation

Racial segregation that is created and enforced by law.

De Facto Segregation

Racial segregation that exists due to social, economic, or residential patterns rather than explicit legal mandate.

Lilly Ledbetter

A Goodyear employee who discovered she was paid less than male colleagues for years, sparking major federal equal pay policy discussions.

Women’s March on Washington

A large January 2017 demonstration advocating for women's rights, reproductive rights, racial equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and broader social issues.

Stonewall Rebellion

A 1969 uprising following a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, serving as a landmark event in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Black Codes

Laws enacted by Southern states after the Civil War to restrict the freedoms and economic opportunities of newly freed African Americans.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local Southern laws from the late 19th to mid-20th century enforcing racial segregation in schools, public facilities, and transportation.

Protectionism

Government policies designed to protect domestic businesses or workers from foreign economic competition.

Wage Gap

Disparities in average earnings between different demographic groups, most commonly discussed regarding male and female compensation.

1964 Civil Rights Act

Landmark federal civil rights legislation prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act

Federal law enacted to protect African Americans' voting rights under the Fifteenth Amendment and eliminate discriminatory voter practices.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Federal law prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, transportation, and government services.

metoo Movement

A social movement raising awareness about sexual harassment and sexual assault in workplace and public settings.

Alcatraz Protest

An occupation of Alcatraz Island by Native American activists calling attention to indigenous sovereignty, treaty rights, and federal Indian policies.

Dakota Access Pipeline Protest

2016 protests near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation focusing on tribal sovereignty, water protection, environmental impact, and Native American treaty rights.

Title IX

Federal provision prohibiting sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

Four Steps of Nonviolent Action

Methodology outlined by Martin Luther King Jr. in Letter from Birmingham Jail: collection of facts, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action.

Strict Scrutiny

The highest level of judicial review used by courts for legal classifications involving suspect classes (like race) or fundamental constitutional rights.

Intermediate Scrutiny

The middle-tier judicial review standard applied primarily to sex-based legal classifications.

Rational Basis Review

The lowest level of judicial review applied to standard legal classifications to determine whether a law is reasonably related to a legitimate state interest.

Time, Place, and Manner Restrictions

Government regulations specifying when, where, and how speech can occur (such as noise limits or demonstration permits) rather than regulating the content of the speech.