AP GOV MILLER CHAPTERS 8 AND 9 VOCAB

Freedom of religion

The right to practice any religion or no religion at all

Establishment Clause

The clause in the First Amendment that prohibits the government from establishing an official religion or unduly favoring one religion over another.

Free Exercise Clause

The clause in the First Amendment that protects individuals' rights to practice their religion freely

Freedom of speech

The right to express one's opinions and ideas without fear of government censorship or punishment.

Clear and present danger doctrine

A legal standard that permits restrictions on speech if it poses a significant and immediate threat to public safety.

Fighting words

Speech that incites violence or immediate breach of peace

Non-protected speech

Types of speech that are not protected by the First Amendment

Prior restraint

Government action that prohibits speech or other expression before it can take place

Freedom of the press

The right of journalists and media to publish news and opinions without government censorship.

Freedom of assembly

The right to gather peacefully for demonstrations

Freedom of petition

The right to make complaints to or seek assistance from one's government without fear of punishment or reprisals.

Lemon Test

A three-part test used to determine whether a law violates the Establishment Clause

Libel

A written false statement that damages a person's reputation

Obscenity

Material that violates community standards and lacks serious literary

4th Amendment

Protects against unreasonable searches and seizures and sets requirements for search warrants based on probable cause.

5th Amendment

Provides for the right to a grand jury

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States.

14th Amendment

Grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. and guarantees due process and equal protection under the law.

15th Amendment

Prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race

Writ of Habeas Corpus

A legal order requiring that a person be brought before a judge to determine if their detention is lawful.

Ex post facto law

A law that makes an act illegal retroactively

Eminent domain

The right of the government to take private property for public use

Poll tax

A tax levied as a prerequisite for voting

Commerce Clause

The clause in the Constitution that gives Congress the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the states.

Due Process

Legal requirement that the state must respect all legal rights owed to a person

Bill of attainder

A legislative act that singles out an individual or group for punishment without a trial

Dual citizenship

The status of being a citizen of two countries simultaneously.

Exclusionary rule

A legal principle that prohibits the use of illegally obtained evidence in a criminal trial.

Majority-minority districts

Electoral districts in which the majority of the constituents are from racial or ethnic minority groups.

Jim Crow laws

State and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States.

Segregation

The enforced separation of different racial groups in a country

Civil Rights Act

A landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed discrimination based on race

Executive privilege

The right of the president to withhold information from Congress or the courts

EEOC

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Equality of opportunity

The idea that all individuals should have the same chance to succeed

Equality of results

The concept that individuals should have similar outcomes in life

Affirmative action

Policies that aim to increase opportunities for historically marginalized groups in education and employment.

Rights of a person accused of a crime

Legal protections afforded to individuals accused of crimes

Civil rights movement

A social movement in the United States aimed at ending racial discrimination and securing equal rights for African Americans.

Equal Protection Clause

Part of the 14th Amendment that requires states to provide equal protection under the law to all persons.

Privacy rights

Rights that protect individuals' privacy from government intrusion

Miranda rights

Rights that must be read to a suspect upon arrest

Separate but equal

A legal doctrine that justified racial segregation

Letter From Birmingham Jail

A letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. that defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

A Supreme Court case that upheld the conviction of Charles Schenck for distributing anti-draft pamphlets

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

A landmark Supreme Court case that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

New York Times v. United States (1971)

A Supreme Court case that upheld the right of the press to publish the Pentagon Papers

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

A Supreme Court case that ruled that the Sixth Amendment requires states to provide an attorney to defendants in criminal cases who cannot afford one.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

A landmark Supreme Court decision that recognized a woman's constitutional right to have an abortion.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

A Supreme Court case that upheld students' rights to free speech in public schools

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

A Supreme Court case that ruled that Amish children could not be compelled to attend school past the eighth grade

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

A Supreme Court case that ruled it unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools.

Gitlow v. New York

A Supreme Court case that held that the First Amendment applies to state governments through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause.

Mapp v. Ohio

A Supreme Court case that ruled that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment cannot be used in state courts.

Miranda v. Arizona

A Supreme Court case that established the requirement for police to inform suspects of their rights during an arrest.

California v. Bakke

A Supreme Court case that upheld affirmative action

Plessy v. Ferguson

A Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

A Supreme Court case that ruled that African Americans could not be American citizens and that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in federal territories.

Texas v. Johnson

A Supreme Court case that ruled that flag burning is a form of symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment.

Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States

A Supreme Court case that upheld the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Lemon v. Kurtzman

A Supreme Court case that established the Lemon Test to determine if a law violates the Establishment Clause.

Griswold v. Connecticut

A Supreme Court case that ruled that the Constitution protects the right to privacy

Obergefell v. Hodges

A Supreme Court case that ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right under the Fourteenth Amendment.