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Civil Rights And Civil Liberties Court Cases

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  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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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. On this appeal of the 1987 McCleskey case - the Court produced new standards designed to make it much more difficult for death-row inmates to file repeated appeals.






2. The Supreme Court used this case to end capital punishment - at least in the short run.






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






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






5. The Court found that a San Francisco law banning cleaners from operating in wooden buildings violated the Fourteenth Amendment in its application






6. Supreme Court decision that said it was unconstitutional to keep Mexican-Americans off of juries.






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






8. Nonverbal communication - such as burning a flag or wearing an armband. The Supreme Court has accorded some symbolic speech protection under the first amendment.






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






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






11. 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






12. Tightened restrictions on foreign-born Americans and limited speech [free speech]






13. A landmark case in the area of U.S. criminal procedure - in which the United States Supreme Court decided that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment protection against 'unreasonable searches and seizures' may not be used in criminal






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






15. The Court voted to uphold the constitutionality of the university of Michigan law school's affirmative action policy - which gave preference of minority students.






16. Incorporated the free speech clause of the First Amendment - ruling that the states were not completely free to limit forms of political expression.






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






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






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

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20. All defendants must be informed of legal rights before they are arrested [5th]






21. Due process in suspension or expulsion






22. A Colorado constitutional amendment precluding any legislative - executive - or judicial action at any state or local level designed to bar discrimination based on sexual preference was ruled not rational or reasonable.






23. Law aimed at preventing laws which substantially burden a person's free exercise of their religion. Also - attempted to reign in the Courts' decisions against religious practices.






24. 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.






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






26. 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.






27. A Tennessee death-row inmate who had otherwise exhausted his federal appeals was provided an exception due to the availability of DNA evidence suggesting his innocence; the case recognized the potential exculpatory power of DNA evidence.






28. Declared that a work is obscene and may be regulated by the gov if work taken as a whole appeals to prurient interests - work portrays sexual conduct in a patently offensive way and work taken as a whole lacks literary - artistic - political or scien






29. 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.






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






31. Supreme Court ruling that simply publishing a defamatory falsehood is not enough to justify a libel judgment. 'Actual malice' must be proved to support a finding of libel against a public figure.






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






33. Granted indigents the right to counsel






34. You can burn the flag [symbolic speech]






35. In upholding several restrictive abortion regulations - the Court opened the door for state governments to enact new restrictions on abortion.






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






37. Concluded that a defendant did not have a First Amendment right to free speech against the draft during World War I. Charles Schenck was the Secretary of the Socialist party and was responsible for printing - distributing - and mailing 15000 leaflets






38. The Court ruled that public schools could compel students—in this case - Jehovah's Witnesses—to salute the American Flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance despite the students' religious objections to these practices. [Free exercise]






39. Supreme Court decision holding that a state university could not admit less qualified individuals solely because of their race.






40. Court ruled that laws banning animal sacrifice were unconstitutional because they targeted the Santeria religion specifically.






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






42. The Court ruled that the use of the swastika is a symbolic form of free speech entitled to First Amendment protections and determined that the swastika itself did not constitute 'fighting words.' [symbolic speech]






43. Incorporation (free exercise)






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






45. Ruled that the First Amendment protected radical and revolutionary speech - unless it posed a 'clear and present danger'. (overt action required) [Free Speech]






46. 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






47. Established the actual malice standard. In cases of libel or slander - public figures must prove that the author had 'knowledge of falsity and reckless disregard for the truth.'






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






49. 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.'






50. Identified an implied right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution using the 1st - 3rd - 4th - 5th - and 9th amendment. Hint: This case involved birth control and married couples... relate this somehow to the Griswold family vacation movies?