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Palko v. Connecticut (1937)

Definition

A Supreme Court case that established the principle of selective incorporation, extending protections of the Bill of Rights to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause.

Analogy

Think of Palko v. Connecticut like a parent (the federal government) telling their child (the state) they have to follow certain house rules (Bill of Rights), even though they might not want to.

Related terms

Selective Incorporation: The process by which certain rights outlined in the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights are applied to the states through interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Fourteenth Amendment: An amendment added to the U.S. Constitution in 1868 that grants citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African Americans and slaves who had been emancipated after the American Civil War, including them under the umbrella phrase 'all persons born or naturalized in the United States.'

Due Process Clause: Part of the 14th Amendment stating that no state may deprive a person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.