| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Amendments | Formal changes or additions to the Constitution. |
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution that protect individual civil liberties and rights. |
| civil liberties | Individual rights and freedoms protected from government interference, such as freedom of speech and religion. |
| Constitution | The supreme law of the United States that establishes the framework of the federal government and defines the relationship between the national government and the states, and between the government and the people. |
| individual liberties | Fundamental freedoms and rights of citizens that are protected from government interference, including freedoms of speech, religion, and assembly. |
| liberties | Fundamental freedoms and rights protected from government interference. |
| rights | Entitlements and protections guaranteed to individuals by the Constitution. |
| Supreme Court interpretation | The process by which courts analyze and apply constitutional provisions and laws to specific cases, continuously shaping the meaning and application of constitutional protections. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| civil rights | Legal and constitutional protections that guarantee equal treatment and freedoms for all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, or other characteristics. |
| Due Process Clause | Constitutional provision in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments prohibiting the government from infringing on a person's life, liberty, or property without due process of law. |
| Equal Protection Clause | The part of the Fourteenth Amendment that prohibits states from denying any person equal protection of the laws. |
| LGBTQ rights | Advocacy for equal protection and non-discrimination for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. |
| pro-choice movement | An advocacy movement that supports a woman's right to choose abortion and opposes legal restrictions on abortion access. |
| pro-life movement | An advocacy movement that opposes abortion and seeks legal restrictions on abortion access. |
| social movements | Broad-based organized efforts by groups seeking social or political change to affect society and policymaking. |
| Title II | A civil rights law that guarantees equal treatment in public accommodations regardless of race, color, religion, or national origin. |
| Title IX | A federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education, including ensuring equal opportunities for women to participate in athletics. |
| Title VII | A civil rights law that prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Civil Rights Act of 1964 | Federal legislation that prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public places, schools, and employment. |
| court rulings | Judicial decisions made by courts that interpret laws and establish legal precedents. |
| Equal Protection Clause | The part of the Fourteenth Amendment that prohibits states from denying any person equal protection of the laws. |
| Fourteenth Amendment | Constitutional amendment that includes the due process clause applying procedural protections to state governments. |
| race-based school segregation | The separation of students in schools based on racial classification. |
| social movements | Broad-based organized efforts by groups seeking social or political change to affect society and policymaking. |
| Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 | Federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that receives federal financial assistance. |
| Voting Rights Act of 1965 | Federal legislation that prohibits racial discrimination in voting and authorized federal oversight of elections in certain jurisdictions. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| civil rights | Legal and constitutional protections that guarantee equal treatment and freedoms for all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, or other characteristics. |
| Equal Protection Clause | The part of the Fourteenth Amendment that prohibits states from denying any person equal protection of the laws. |
| Fourteenth Amendment | Constitutional amendment that includes the due process clause applying procedural protections to state governments. |
| majority rights | The interests and preferences of the larger portion of the population, which the Court must balance against the protection of minority rights. |
| majority-minority districting | The practice of drawing electoral district boundaries to ensure that minority groups constitute a majority of voters in a district, designed to increase minority representation. |
| minority rights | Constitutional and legal protections for groups that represent a smaller portion of the population, ensuring they are not subjected to discrimination by the majority. |
| segregation | The forced separation of racial groups in public facilities, schools, and accommodations. |
| separate but equal doctrine | A legal principle that allowed racial segregation as long as separate facilities were provided for different racial groups, later declared unconstitutional. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| affirmative action | Policies intended to address workplace and educational disparities related to race, ethnic origin, gender, disability, and age. |
| educational disparities | Inequalities or differences in educational opportunities, access, or outcomes based on protected characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, disability, or age. |
| Equal Protection Clause | The part of the Fourteenth Amendment that prohibits states from denying any person equal protection of the laws. |
| Fourteenth Amendment | Constitutional amendment that includes the due process clause applying procedural protections to state governments. |
| workplace disparities | Inequalities or differences in employment opportunities, treatment, or outcomes based on protected characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, disability, or age. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| establishment clause | The First Amendment provision that prohibits Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion. |
| First Amendment | The constitutional amendment that protects fundamental freedoms including religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. |
| free exercise clause | The First Amendment provision that protects an individual's right to practice religion freely without government interference. |
| religious liberty | The fundamental right of individuals to practice their religion and hold religious beliefs without government restriction or coercion. |
| Supreme Court interpretation | The process by which courts analyze and apply constitutional provisions and laws to specific cases, continuously shaping the meaning and application of constitutional protections. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| clear and present danger | A legal standard for determining when speech can be restricted because it poses an immediate threat to public safety or national security. |
| defamation | Language or communication that harms the reputation of another person. |
| libel | Written communication that defames or harms the reputation of another person. |
| obscene communication | Speech or material that is sexually explicit or offensive in nature and may be subject to First Amendment limitations. |
| slander | Oral or spoken communication that defames or harms the reputation of another person. |
| symbolic speech | Nonverbal action or conduct that communicates an idea or belief and is protected as a form of expression under the First Amendment. |
| time, place, and manner regulations | Government restrictions on speech that regulate when, where, or how speech can occur, such as limits on event timing, location, or noise levels. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| First Amendment | The constitutional amendment that protects fundamental freedoms including religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. |
| freedom of the press | The First Amendment right protecting the media's ability to publish information and express opinions without government censorship or interference. |
| individual liberty | The fundamental right of individuals to make personal choices and act freely within constitutional limits. |
| prior restraint | Government censorship or prohibition of speech or publication before it occurs, which the Supreme Court has held to be unconstitutional in most cases. |
| Supreme Court interpretation | The process by which courts analyze and apply constitutional provisions and laws to specific cases, continuously shaping the meaning and application of constitutional protections. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| individual liberty | The fundamental right of individuals to make personal choices and act freely within constitutional limits. |
| right to bear arms | The constitutional right protected by the Second Amendment to possess and carry firearms. |
| Second Amendment | The constitutional amendment protecting the right of individuals to keep and bear arms. |
| Supreme Court interpretation | The process by which courts analyze and apply constitutional provisions and laws to specific cases, continuously shaping the meaning and application of constitutional protections. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| cruel and unusual punishment | Punishment that is excessive, barbaric, or disproportionate to the offense, prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. |
| death penalty | The legal punishment of execution imposed by a court for the most serious crimes. |
| digital metadata | Information about digital communications and activities, such as phone records, email headers, and location data, collected by government agencies. |
| Eighth Amendment | The constitutional amendment that prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. |
| Fourth Amendment | The constitutional amendment protecting individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. |
| government regulation of firearms | Laws and policies enacted by government to control the manufacture, sale, possession, and use of guns. |
| individual liberty | The fundamental right of individuals to make personal choices and act freely within constitutional limits. |
| individual rights | Fundamental freedoms and protections guaranteed to individuals by the Constitution and Bill of Rights. |
| public order | The state of peace and stability maintained by government through law enforcement and regulation. |
| public safety | The protection of the general population from harm, danger, or criminal activity through government action and law enforcement. |
| Second Amendment | The constitutional amendment protecting the right of individuals to keep and bear arms. |
| Supreme Court | The highest court in the United States federal judiciary, responsible for interpreting the Constitution and reviewing lower court decisions. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution that protect individual civil liberties and rights. |
| civil liberties | Individual rights and freedoms protected from government interference, such as freedom of speech and religion. |
| Due Process Clause | Constitutional provision in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments prohibiting the government from infringing on a person's life, liberty, or property without due process of law. |
| Fourteenth Amendment | Constitutional amendment that includes the due process clause applying procedural protections to state governments. |
| selective incorporation | The doctrine by which select protections of the Bill of Rights are applied to the states through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. |
| state regulation | Laws and rules established by individual states to govern conduct within their jurisdiction. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution that protect individual civil liberties and rights. |
| bulk collection of telecommunication metadata | Large-scale government gathering of communication records, regulated by the Patriot Act and USA Freedom Act. |
| cell phone data | Personal information stored on mobile devices protected from warrantless searches under Fourth Amendment rights. |
| Due Process Clause | Constitutional provision in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments prohibiting the government from infringing on a person's life, liberty, or property without due process of law. |
| exclusionary rule | Supreme Court doctrine that evidence illegally obtained in violation of Fourth Amendment rights cannot be used in criminal prosecution. |
| Fifth Amendment | Constitutional amendment that includes the due process clause limiting the national government's power to infringe on individual rights. |
| Fourteenth Amendment | Constitutional amendment that includes the due process clause applying procedural protections to state governments. |
| Fourth Amendment | The constitutional amendment protecting individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. |
| impartial jury | Constitutional requirement that a jury deciding a criminal case must be fair and unbiased. |
| Miranda rule | Supreme Court-established requirement that law enforcement must inform accused persons of certain procedural protections from the Fifth and Sixth Amendments before interrogation. |
| procedural due process | Constitutional requirement that government officials use fair, non-arbitrary methods when making decisions that affect constitutionally protected rights. |
| public safety exception | Legal doctrine allowing law enforcement to conduct unwarned interrogation in emergency situations, with the evidence admissible in court. |
| right to legal counsel | Constitutional protection guaranteeing an accused person the right to have an attorney represent them in criminal proceedings. |
| Riley v. California | 2014 Supreme Court case establishing that law enforcement cannot search cell phone data without a warrant. |
| Sixth Amendment | Constitutional amendment guaranteeing procedural protections to the accused, including the right to counsel and a speedy trial. |
| speedy and public trial | Constitutional right of the accused to have their criminal case heard quickly and openly before the public. |
| unreasonable searches and seizures | Government actions that violate the Fourth Amendment by searching or seizing a person's property without proper legal justification. |
| warrantless searches | Searches conducted by law enforcement without obtaining a warrant, which are generally prohibited under the Fourth Amendment. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Board of Education of Independent School District No. 92 of Pottawatomie County v. Earls | A 2008 Supreme Court case illustrating the scope and limitations of substantive due process and privacy rights. |
| Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization | A 2022 Supreme Court case that overturned Roe v. Wade and held that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. |
| Due Process Clause | Constitutional provision in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments prohibiting the government from infringing on a person's life, liberty, or property without due process of law. |
| Griswold v. Connecticut | A 1965 Supreme Court case that established the constitutional right to privacy through substantive due process interpretation of the due process clause. |
| Ninth Amendment | The constitutional amendment stating that individuals retain rights beyond those explicitly listed in the first eight amendments. |
| Pierce v. Society of Sisters | A 1925 Supreme Court case illustrating the application of substantive due process and privacy rights. |
| right to privacy | A constitutionally protected right, recognized through substantive due process, that shields individuals from government intrusion into personal decisions and intimate matters. |
| Roe v. Wade | A 1973 Supreme Court case that extended the right to privacy to abortion through substantive due process. |
| substantive due process | A constitutional principle that protects individuals from arbitrary government actions that infringe upon fundamental rights, even when proper legal procedures are followed. |
| unenumerated rights | Constitutional rights that are not explicitly listed in the Bill of Rights but are recognized by the Supreme Court as protected by the Constitution. |