| A | B |
|---|
| Right to Bear Arms | 2nd Amendment |
| Bill of Rights | First 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution; provides individual rights while limiting the power of the government |
| Censorship | The suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to national security |
| Cruel and Unusual Punishment | 8th Amendment; includes torture, deliberately degrading punishment. or punishment that is too severe for the crime committed. |
| Double Jeopardy | The act of prosecuting a defendant a second time for an offense for which he or she has already been tried. The 5th amendment states: [N]or shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb……. |
| Due Process of the Law | Fair application of the law in one’s case. |
| Eminent Domain | Refers to the power of a state or the federal government to take private property for public use while requiring "just" compensation to be given to the original owner ( 5th Amendment) |
| Equal Protection of the Law | The provision of the Fourteenth Amendment quartering citizens "the equal protection of the laws." This clause has served as the basis for the civil rights of African Americans, women and other groups |
| Libel | The publication of false or malicious statements that damage someone's reputation. |
| Legal Counsel | A lawyer appointed or engaged to advise or represent a client in legal matters. |
| Northwest Ordinance | An act passed by Congress in 1787 that provided rules for governing the Northwest Territory, land north of the Ohio River and west of the Alleghenies. It laid out rules for how parts of the territory could eventually become states. |
| Plead the 5th | A right that allows witnesses to decline to answer questions where the answers might incriminate them, and generally without having to suffer a penalty for asserting the right. |
| Ordain | To enact or establish by law |
| Ordinance | Regulations(laws) that govern local governments |
| Posterity | For all future generations |
| Ratification | The official way to confirm something, usually by vote |
| Safeguard | A measure taken to protect someone or something or to prevent something undesirable; protect from harm or damage with an appropriate measure. |
| Self-Incrimination (witness against yourself) | The situation occurring when an individual accused of a crime is compelled to be a witness against himself or herself in court. |
| Shay’s Rebellion | An uprising led by a former militia officer, Daniel Shays which broke out in western Massachusetts in 1786. Shays’s followers protested the foreclosures of farms for debt and briefly succeeded in shutting down the court system |
| Slander | The verbal expression of false or malicious statements that damage someone's reputation. |
| Supremacy Clause | A clause in Article VI of the U.S. Constitution that declares federal laws to have jurisdictional authority over state laws in the event there is conflict between laws established by two governing bodies Landmark Court Case: Marbury v. Madison |
| Tranquility | Calmness; peacefulness; quiet; serenity |
| Trial by Jury | 6th and 7th Amendment - Trial that is decided by a jury ( antonym- a bench trial- judge makes verdict) |
| Unenumerated Rights ( 9th Amendment) | Rights that are not expressly mentioned in the written text of a constitution but instead are inferred from the language, history, and structure of the constitution, or cases interpreting; Rights not listed are retained by the people. |
| Union | The act of uniting two or more things; being joined together (as in joined together under one government). |
| Unreasonable Search and Seizure | Obtaining evidence in a haphazard or random manner, a practice prohibited by the 4th amendment; probable cause and a search warrant are required for this to be legal. |
| Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963 | Guarantees right to counsel even if one cannot afford one in a criminal case as the 14th amendment declares equal protection under the law. |
| Miranda v. Arizona, 1966 | The Supreme Court overturned Ernesto Miranda's conviction because he had not been informed of his legal rights prior to confessing. Today, Miranda Rights must be read to the accused. These rights included the right to remain silent, the right to have a lawyer present during questioning, the right to a court appointed attorney if the suspect cannot afford one, and the warning that anything a suspect says can and will be used in court. To use a confession in court, the prosecution must prove the suspect were read and understood those rights. |
| Tinker v. Des Moines, 1968 | Wearing peace armbands in school to protest the Vietnam war did not violate the 1st amendment in schools as students did not intend to spark violence, destruction, damage or criminal activity. |
| District of Columbia v. Heller, 2003 | A S.W.A.T. officer with the Washington D.C. police department sued in the District of Columbia District Court for the right to carry a handgun off duty. The Supreme Court ruled that he had the right to carry a weapon for a lawful purpose, and the District Court's opinion was reversed. |
