Unit 3 Flashcards
(48 cards)
What are civil liberties?
Personal freedoms protected from arbitrary governmental interferance/deprivations
What was the ruling of Shenck v. US (1919)? (REQ)
Speech representing “a clear and present danger” isn’t protected
What was the ruling of Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)? (REQ)
Students in public schools are allowed to wear armbands as a peaceful form of symbolic speech
What was the ruling in NYT Co. v. US (1971)? (REQ)
The gov. cannot exercise prior restraint (forbid publication ahead of time)
What was the ruling in Engel v. Vitale (1962)? (REQ)
School sponsored religious activities violate the establishment clause of the 1st amendment
What was the ruling of Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)? (REQ)
Requirements that Amish students attend school past the 8th grade violate the free exercise clause
What was the ruling of McDonald v. Chicago (2010)? (REQ)
The right to keep and bear arms for self-defense in one’s home applies to the states
What was the ruling in Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)? (REQ)
States must provide poor defendants an attorney to guarantee a fair trial
What was the ruling of Roe v. Wade (1973)? (REQ)
The right to privacy extends to a woman’s decisions to have an abortion, though the state has a legitimate interest in protecting a mother’s health
When are civil liberties limited?
When they infringe on public interest
What is public interest
The well-being of the general public
How has the Court rules that state law must adhere to most of the Bill of Rights
Thru selective incorporation
What is due process?
Limiting the top gov’s ability to ignore civil liberties
What does the 5th amendment establish?
No person shall be “deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of the law”
What does the 14th Amendment establish
Born citizenship; created more equality for ppl of color
What are the rights not yet incorporated
- 3rd Amendment protections against Quartering troops in homes
- 5th Amendment right to a grand jury indictment in misdemeanor cases
- 7th Amendment right to jury trials in civil cases
- 8th Amendment protection against excessive bail
What is compelling government interest
a purpose important enough to justify infringement on personal rights
Under what circumstances can the gov infringe on personal liberties?
When there is compelling government interest shown
T or F: The gov has no prerogative of prior restraint
True
What is prior restraint?
The right to stop spoken/printed expression in advance
T or F: The gov can suppress a thought form entering the media
False: The gov cannot suppress a thought from entering the press just because most people find it offensive
What was the constitutional question and decision of Schenck v. US?
Q: Does the gov’s prosecution and punishment for expressing opposition to the military draft during the wartime violate the 1st Amendment’s free speech clause?
D: No
What are the facts of the Schenck v. US case?
- As the US entered into WW1, the Espionage Act prevented publications that criticized the gov or advocated for treason/insurrection
- Schenck tried to dissuade ppl from complying with he draft by arguing that it equated to involuntary servitude and violated the 13th amendment; did so thru antidraft letters
What was the reasoning behind the Schenck v. US decision?
The Court agreed that context was important when considering an expression. Due to the state of wartime and what the actions could lead to, it was deemed unconstitutional. The Court drew a distinction between speech that communicated honest opinion and speech that incited unlawful action (AKA “clear and present danger”).