AP Gov Unit 3 Review: Civil Libs & Rights

Civil liberties are best described as

• protections of specific citizens' rights from encroachment by the government.

• protections against discrimination by the government and private citizens

• protections for various forms of expression that are vital to American political life

• protections specifically designed to protect minorities in the nation.

The Supreme Court overturned laws regulating birth control in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) on the grounds that such laws violated the right to privacy. Why was this a controversial decision?

• The Court's decision clashed with the right of free exercise for those religiously opposed to birth control.

• The right to privacy is never mentioned by name in the Bill of Rights.

• The laws had been approved by an overwhelming majority of voters in Connecticut.

• The decision to overturn the law injected government rules into private business enterprises.

In Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), the Supreme Court upheld a student's right to wear an armband in protest. The wearing of the armband was protected as a form of which of the following?

• Prior restraint

• Symbolic speech

• Redress of grievances

• Peaceful public protest

A group of protestors in Washington, D.C., carry out a public demonstration against American military involvement in the Middle East. The protestors were wielding signs critical of American soldiers and questioning the President's mental fitness. They block a major intersection and stop traffic for nearly an hour. Dozens of people are arrested. The courts ultimately uphold their arrest and conviction. What is the likely reason for the courts' decision?

• Protesting in the nation's capital can be taken as a threat of rebellion.

• Defamatory statements toward soldiers and the president count as slander.

• Blocking intersections pose a threat to public safety and impede the lives of others.

• Opposing the American military during wartime is offensive to many Americans and thus not protected speech.

Which of the following correctly describes the concept of prior restraint?

• The government attempting to prevent something from being published by the press

• The right of individuals to plan, coordinate, and execute peaceful methods of protest

• The punishment of individuals for making statements critical of the government

• The Supreme Court blocking government action on the grounds that it is unconstitutional

When the process of incorporation is referred to as "selective," it is in reference to the fact that

• the Court only incorporates a right in some cases but not all.

• incorporation has happened on an amendment-by-amendment basis.

• extension of rights may be withheld from some groups, such as students.

• decisions from those cases do not set precedent for future cases.

Which of the following would be considered a violation of the 5th amendment?

• Searching someone's cell phone records without a warrant

• Sentencing a man to death for having too many speeding tickets

• A law banning the possession of handguns for all citizens

• Failure to read someone their Miranda rights while being taken into custody

McDonald v. Chicago (2010) is the most recent case to use selective incorporation. What right did it incorporate?

• The right to privacy

• The right to bear arms

• The right to an attorney

• The right to avoid self-incrimination

The Supreme Court is hearing an appeal of a man arrested and jailed for publicly advocating violently overthrowing the current president. The Supreme Court will likely find that

• his conviction should be overturned as a violation of his 1st amendment rights.

• his conviction should be overturned due to the exclusionary rule.

• his conviction should be overturned because the Constitution recognizes a right of revolution.

• his conviction should be upheld, due to his disregard for public safety.

Which of the following cases most likely involves a violation of civil rights?

• Classifying people into brackets on the basis of income and taxing them at different rates

• Classifying people in any way, using any system that treats one group of people differently from another

• Classifying people and treating them differently on the basis of race or gender

• Giving adults more rights, such as voting or drinking alcohol, than the rights possessed by minors