AP Gov Ch 15 Vocab

Writ of habeas corpus

Court order requiring explanation to a judge why a prisoner is being held in custody

ex post factor law

retroactive criminal that works to the disadvantage of an individual; forbidden in the constitution

Bill of attainder

Legislative act inflicting punishment, deprivation of property, without a trial, on named individuals or members of a specific group

Due process clause

Prohibits state governments from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law

Selective incorporation

The process of which provisions of the Bill of Rights are brought within the scope of the 14th admendment and so applied to state and local governments

Establishment clause

Government cannot establish an official religion. Seperation of church and state

Vouchers

Money provided by the government to parents for payments of their children’s tuition in a public or private school

Free exercise clause

Free exercise of religion

Bad tendency test

Permits legislatures to forbid speech encouraging people to engage in illegal action

Clear and present danger test

Government cannot interfere with speech unless the speech presents a clear and present danger that it will lead to evil or illegal acts

Prefered petition doctrine

Freedom of expression is essential to democracy that governments should not punish persons for what they say, only what they do

Non protected speech

Libel, obscenity, fighting words, and commercial speech, which are not entitled to constitutional protection in all circumstances

Libel

Written defamation of another person

Sedition

Attempting to overthrow the government by force or to interrupt its activities by violence

Obscenity

Quality or a state of work that is taken as a whole appeals to a prurient interest in sex by depicting sexual content in a patently offensive way and that lacks serious, literary, artistic, political or scientific value

Fighting words

Words that by their very nature inflict injury on those whom they are addressed or incite them to acts of violence

Prior restrsaint

Censorship imposed before a speech is made or a newspaper published; usually pressumed to be unconstitutional

Civil disobedience

Delibberate refusal to obey a law or comply with the orders of public officials as a means of expressing opposition

Commercial speech

Advertisements and commercials for products and services: receive less rights to discourage false advertising and misleading ads