AP United States Government - Unit 3 - Chapter 5 Vocab #1

back at it again

Civil liberties

rights — chiefly, rights to be free of government interference — accorded to an individual by the Constitution: free speech, free press, and so on

Due process of law

denies the government the right, without due process, to deprive people of life, liberty, and property

Equal protection of the laws

a standard of equal treatment that must be observed by the government

Freedom of expression

right of people to speak, publish, and assemble

Freedom of religion

people shall be free to exercise their religion, and government may not establish a religion

Selective incorporation process

the process whereby the Court has applied most, but not all, parts of the Bill of Rights to the States

Clear-and-present-danger test

law should not punish speech unless there was a clear and present danger of producing harmful actions

Libel

writing that falsely injures another person

Symbolic speech

an act that conveys a political message

Free exercise clause

First Amendment requirement that law cannot prevent free exercise of religion

Establishment clause

First Amendment ban on laws “respecting an establishment of religion”

Wall of separation

court ruling that government cannot be involved with religion

Exclusionary rule

improperly gathered evidence may not be introduced in a criminal trial

Search warrant

a judge’s order authorizing a search

Probable clause

reasonable cause for issuing a search warrant or making an arrest; more than mere suspicion

Good faith exception

an error in gathering evidence sufficiently minor that it may be used in a trial

Public safety exception

the police can question a non-Mirandized suspect if there is an urgent concern for public safety

Inevitable discovery

the police can use evidence if it would inevitably have been discovered

Civil forfeiture

a procedure in which law-enforcement officers take assets from people who are suspected of illegal activity, but have not been charged with a crime

Simple resolution

an expression of opinion either in the House or Senate to settle procedural matters in either body