Chapter 8 - AP GOV

Civil Liberties

Fundamental rights and freedoms protected from infringement by the government.

Civil Rights

Protections from discrimination as a member of a particular group.

Bill of Rights

A list of fundamental rights and freedoms that individuals possess, consisting of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Selective Incorporation

The process by which the Bill of Rights has been applied to the states on a case-by-case basis through the Fourteenth Amendment.

Establishment Clause

Protection against the government requiring citizens to join or support a religion.

Free Exercise Clause

Protection of the rights of individuals to exercise and express their religious beliefs.

Libel

An untrue written statement that injures a person's reputation.

Slander

An untrue spoken expression that injures a person's reputation.

Ex Post Facto

Laws that criminalize conduct that was legal at the time it occurred.

Bill of Attainder

A law passed by Congress punishing an individual without a trial.

Writ of Habeas Corpus

A document setting out reasons for an arrest or detention.

Miranda Rights

The right to remain silent and have an attorney present during questioning, must be communicated to individuals suspected of criminal activity.

Double Jeopardy

The prohibition against being tried twice for the same crime in the same jurisdiction.

Prior Restraint

The suppression of material prior to publication on the grounds that it might endanger national security.

Tinker v. Des Moines

A landmark case that protected symbolic speech in schools, ruling that students do not lose their First Amendment rights at school.

Gitlow v. New York

A case that began the process of selective incorporation, involving the application of First Amendment rights to state laws.

Engel v. Vitale

Supreme Court case that ruled school-sponsored prayer is unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause.

Wisconsin v. Yoder

Supreme Court case that ruled compulsory school attendance laws violate the free exercise of Amish religion.

Miller Test

A standard established for determining whether material is obscene, requiring it to be 'patently offensive' and lacking serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

New York Times v. Sullivan

A landmark case that established the actual malice standard for press reports about public officials.

Communications Decency Act

A law aimed at regulating internet content that was deemed too vague and restrictive by the courts, having a chilling effect on free speech.

Gideon v. Wainwright

A case establishing the right to counsel for defendants in state courts, extending the right to those unable to afford an attorney.

Furman v. Georgia

A Supreme Court case that ruled on the constitutionality of the death penalty as it was applied in certain cases.

District of Columbia v. Heller

A case that affirmed an individual's right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense.

McDonald v. Chicago

A Supreme Court case that incorporated the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.