Key Concepts from Exam 3 - Federal Government

The Courts

• Key Terms: Amicus curiae, appellate jurisdiction, brief, civil law, common law (case law), criminal law, judicial review, judicial restraint, and judicial activism.

• Federal Court System Structure: Includes District Courts, Circuit Courts, and the Supreme Court.

• Judicial Concepts: Original jurisdiction, precedent, Rule of Four, stare decisis.

• Types of Court Opinions: Majority, concurring, dissenting.

Civil Liberties

• Bill of Rights: First ten amendments protecting individual freedoms.

• Legal Protections: Due process clause, exclusionary rule, rights related to free speech, self-incrimination, and the right to privacy.

• Key Cases: Marbury v. Madison, Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade, Miranda v. Arizona, Mapp v. Ohio.

Civil Rights

• Important Amendments: 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th, 26th.

• Civil Rights Legislation: Civil Rights Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Voting Rights Act.

• Major Events: Montgomery Bus Boycott, Seneca Falls Convention, LGBTQ+ rights advancements.

Landmark Supreme Court Cases

• Marbury v. Madison (1803): Established judicial review.

• Brown v. Board of Education (1954): Ruled segregation unconstitutional.

• Roe v. Wade (1973): Recognized right to abortion under privacy rights.

• Recent Cases: Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) - same-sex marriage, Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) - overturned Roe v. Wade.