| A | B |
|---|
| Bill of Rights | the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, establishing rights and protections for American citizens |
| cruel and unusual punishment | punishment prohibited by the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; includes torture or other forms of punishment too severe for the crime committed |
| double jeopardy | the prosecution of a defendant for a criminal offense for which he has already been tried; prohibited in the Fifth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution |
| due process of law | a system of justice according to established rules and principles; based on the principle in the Fifth Amendment that a person cannot be deprived of life, liberty, or property without appropriate legal procedures and protections |
| eminent domain | the right of the government to take private property for public use; the Fifth Amendment requires that fair compensation be made when property is taken under eminent domain |
| equal protection under the law | a guarantee under the 14th Amendment that a state must treat a citizen or class of citizens the same as it treats other citizens or classes in like circumstances |
| First Amendment | an amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibiting Congress from establishing a religion, and from interfering with freedom of religious exercise, press, speech, assembly, or petition |
| pleading the fifth | the act of a person refusing to testify under oath in a court of law on the grounds that the answers could be used as evidence against him to convict him of a criminal offense |
| right to bear arms | the idea in the Second Amendment that people have an individual right to own and carry weapons |
| right to legal counsel | the right of a defendant to be assisted by an attorney, and if he cannot afford his own lawyer, the government must appoint one for him; established in the Sixth Amendment |
| search and seizure | the process by which police or other authorities who suspect that a crime has been committed do a search of a person's property and collect any relevant evidence to the crime; protection from illegal search and seizure is in the Fourth Amendment |
| suffrage | the right to vote; protected in the 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th Amendments |
| trial by jury | a trial in which the issue is determined by a judge and a jury, usually with 12 members, whose job is to determine facts and make a judgment of guilty or not guilty; protected in the Sixth Amendment |
| unenumerated rights | according to the Ninth Amendment, any right that is not specifically addressed in the Constitution still may be protected (e.g., privacy) |
