Civil Liberties

Ace Practice Test


I.    NATIONALIZATION OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS

    A.    INTENTION OF THE FRAMERS

    B.    BARRON V. BALTIMORE (1833)

    C.    THE 14TH AMENDMENT'S DUE PROCESS CLAUSE

Section. 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. [emphasis added]

    D.    GITLOW V. NEW YORK (1925)

II.    FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

    A.    COSTS.

    B.    BENEFITS

III.    FREE SPEECH

    A.    SPEECH AND ACTION

        1.    "CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER" TEST

        2.    "DANGEROUS TENDENCY DOCTRINE"

    B.    EXCEPTIONS TO FREE SPEECH GUARANTEES

        1.    LIBEL AND SLANDER

        2.    CONSPIRACIES

        3.    "FIGHTING WORDS"

IV.    FREEDOM OF THE "PRESS"

    A.    OBSCENITY (Definition)

        1.    ORIGINAL ELEMENTS (Roth v. U.S., 1957)

        2.    CURRENT REQUIREMENTS (Miller v. California, 1973)

    B.    FILMS

    C.    ELECTRONIC MEDIA

    D.    PRIOR RESTRAINTS

V.    FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY

    A.    RELATIONSHIP TO INTEREST GROUPS

    B.    SYMBOLIC SPEECH

VI.    FREEDOM OF RELIGION

    A.    BASIC CONCEPT

    B.    THE ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE

    C.    THE FREE EXERCISE CLAUSE

VII.    RIGHT TO PRIVACY (Griswold v. Conn., 1965)

    A.    CONTRACEPTION TO ABORTION

        1.    Roe v. Wade (1973)

        2.    Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992)

        3.    Gonzales v. Cahart (2007)

    B.    SEXUAL ORIENTATION

        1.  Bowers v. Hardwick (1986)

        2.  Lawrence v. Texas (2003) (Kennedy's Reference to European Courts)

    C.   RIGHT TO ASSISTED SUICIDE  (Washington v. Glucksberg, 1997)

VIII.      CONSTITUTIONALIZING PUBLIC POLICIES:   Judicial Activism v. Judicial Self-Restraint


Key Web Sites

Court Decisions for
Freedom of Speech in the United States