Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969) Summary

Vocabulary flashcards on key concepts from the Brandenburg v. Ohio case.

Brandenburg v. Ohio

A Supreme Court case deciding that Ohio's criminal syndicalism statute was unconstitutional for punishing mere advocacy rather than incitement to imminent lawless action.

Criminal Syndicalism Statute

An Ohio law that prohibited advocacy of crime, terrorism, or assembly for the purpose of teaching those doctrines.

First Amendment

Part of the U.S. Constitution that protects freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and religion.

Fourteenth Amendment

Amendment granting citizenship and equal protection under the law, also applicable to state laws.

Imminent Lawless Action

A legal standard for speech that can be restricted; it requires advocating for action that is likely to incite immediate law violations.

Ku Klux Klan

A white supremacist group involved in the case, whose leader was convicted under the Ohio law.

Overruled

To revoke or annul a previous legal decision or precedent.

Retrial

A legal process in which a case is tried again after a previous trial's verdict is deemed invalid.

Conviction

The formal declaration that someone is guilty of a criminal offense.

Speech Protection

Constitutional guarantee that allows individuals to express themselves without government interference.