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Civil Rights And Civil Liberties Court Cases

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This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Turned the tide in terms of constitutional litigation - ruling that the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibited unreasonable classifications based on sex.






2. Selectively incorporates freedom of the press -The Court ruled that a Minnesota law that targeted publishers of 'malicious' or 'scandalous' newspapers violated the First Amendment






3. Halt to all death penalty punishments in nation until a less arbitrary method of sentencing was found [8th]






4. The Supreme Court found that a woman's right to an abortion was protected by the right to privacy that could be implied from specific guarantees found in the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment.






5. The Supreme Court ruled that all vestiges of de jure discrimination must be eliminated at once.






6. (no burning draft card) [symbolic speech]

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7. States may provide school vouchers to parents that may use the money to attend religious school. [exception to lemon v. kurtzman]






8. Fed can limit speech that doesn't lead to action (upholding Smith Act - Which made it a crime to support any communist organization)






9. You can burn the flag [symbolic speech]






10. The Court determined that direct government assistance to religious schools is unconstitutional In the majority opinion - the Court created what has become known as the 'Lemon Test' for deciding if a law is in violation of the establishment clause.






11. The Court overturned the conviction of a director of a Communist youth camp under a state statute prohibiting the display of a red flag.






12. You may believe whatever you wish - but you may not be able to exercise that belief.






13. Students may be searched by school administrators if they have reasonable belief---this is a lower standard than probable cause.






14. The Court ruled that a Nebraska 'partial birth' abortion statute was unconstitutionally vague and unenforceable - calling into question the laws of twenty-nine other states.






15. Incorporation (free exercise)






16. Decision that limited the application of the Bill of Rights to the actions of Congress alone.






17. Established the Supreme Court's rationale for distinguishing between protected and unprotected speech. Fighting words






18. Declared school sponsored Bible reading in public schools in the United States to be unconstitutional [est. clause and schools]






19. The Court declared that a law banning peyote use was constitutional because it did not specifically target the Native American Church.






20. Unsuccessful attempt to challenge Georgia's sodomy law. The case was overturned by Lawrence v. Texas.






21. This decision expanded the types of beliefs that can be used to get conscientious objector status. The depth and fervency of the beliefs - rather than their status as part of an established religious system - became fundamental to determining which v






22. Incorporated a portion of the Fourth Amendment by establishing that illegally obtained evidence cannot be sued at trial.






23. The Court held that in order to be obscene - material must be 'utterly without redeeming social value.'






24. Defined the power of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over 'indecent' material as applied to broadcasting; some kid over heard Filthy Words routine on TV - so the dad sued. [obscenity]






25. Names attached to five cases brought under the Civil Rights Act of 1857. In 1883 - the Supreme Court decided that discrimination in a variety of public accommodations could not be prohibited by the act because such discrimination was private discrimi






26. The last time the Supreme Court addressed the constitutionality of the Second Amendment; ruled that the amendment was only intended to protect a citizen's right to own ordinary militia weapons.






27. Free exercise of religion not violation of compulsory attendance laws; Amish children do not have to go to school until they are 16---they may stop after the 8th grade






28. The arm band in schools case; First Amendment applied to public schools - and that administrators would have to demonstrate constitutionally valid reasons for any specific regulation of speech in the classroom. [symbolic speech]






29. Paying legislative chaplains and opening a legislative body with a prayer does not violate the establishment clause. (Long standing tradition - they're adults) [exception to lemon v. kurtzman]






30. The Court fashioned the direct incitement test for deciding whether certain kinds of speech could be regulated by the government. This test holds that advocacy of illegal action is protected by the First Amendment unless imminent action is intended a






31. Man claimed that the court should not find him guilty of polygamy since it was his religious duty. The court disagreed. [Free exercise]






32. When a government operates a 'limited public forum -' it may not discriminate against speech that takes place within that forum on the basis of the viewpoint it expresses—in this case - against religious speech engaged in by an evangelical Christian






33. Evidence collected or analyzed in violation of the defendant's constitutional rights is sometimes inadmissible for a criminal prosecution in a court of law.






34. 'Bad Tendency Doctrine -' speech restricted if it has tendency to lead to illegal actions; selectively incorporated freedom of speech to states






35. Challenged a Louisiana statute requiring that railroads provide separate but equal accommodations for blacks and whites. The Court found that separate but equal accommodations did not violate the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.






36. The Court ruled that the recitation in public classrooms of a non-denominational prayer was unconstitutional and a violation of the establishment clause.






37. Law must be clearly secular - not prohibiting or inhibiting religion - and there should be no excessive entanglement






38. Limitation on the scope of Tinker ruling. prohibiting certain styles of expression that are sexually vulgar.






39. Follow-up to Brown v. Board of Education - this case laid out the process for school desegregation and established the concept of dismantling systems 'with all deliberate speed.'






40. Case wherein the Supreme Court adopted the exclusionary rule - which bars the use of illegally obtained evidence at trial.






41. Also called the Pentagon Papers case; the Supreme Court ruled that any attempt by the government to prevent expression carried 'a heavy presumption' against its constitutionality.






42. By ruling that a state law violated the freedom of the press - the Supreme Court incorporated the free press provision of the First Amendment.






43. Case in which the Supreme Court interpreted the First Amendment to allow Congress to restrict speech that is 'of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent.'






44. Death penalty is not 'cruel and unusual punishment' in cases of murder [8th]






45. Public schools may not have clergy lead prayers at graduation ceremonies [est. clause and schools]






46. Peremptory challenges cannot be used to exclude all people of a given race (in this case - African Americans) from a jury pool.






47. Congressional measure banning saying 'unloyal -' things during wartime; violated 1st amendment rights & convicted many [free speech]






48. Overturning Furman v. Georgia - the case ruled that Georgia's rewritten death penalty statute is constitutional.






49. Moments of silent prayer at school are unconstitutional---moments of silence are not. [est. clause and schools]






50. Extended 1981 ruling to high schools for use of facilities by religious groups after hours [est. clause and schools]