Civil Liberties 3.1-3.5

Which of the following best defines civil liberties?

• The freedom to refuse to obey laws an individual considers to be immoral violations of civil rights

• Provisions in the Bill of Rights that provide guarantees against arbitrary interference by government

• Precedents pertaining to criminal procedure that are set by the Supreme Court that are upheld in the lower courts

• Those features of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution that pertain to the actions of individuals and groups

With respect to prayer in public schools, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that

• state-sponsored prayer violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment

• state-sponsored prayer is permitted by the free exercise clause of the First Amendment

• since educational policy is controlled largely by state governments, the First Amendment does not affect school policy on prayer

• the free exercise clause permits teachers to mandate silent prayer

The clear-and-present danger test devised by the Supreme Court was designed to define the conditions under which public authorities could

• ban obscene materials

• suspend habeas corpus protections

• mobilize the National Guard

• limit free speech

Which of the following rulings is most likely to cite the Supreme Court’s decision in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969) as a legal precedent in support of the decision?

• A ruling in favor of students to print their opinions in a school newspaper

• A ruling against a public school’s practice of having prayer at school assemblies

• A ruling supporting the creation of gun-free zones in public schools

• A ruling enforcing mandatory vaccinations for all children before attending school

A group unhappy with local law enforcement distributes a memo to members encouraging physical confrontations with police officers. The leaders of the group are promptly arrested. Which of the following Supreme Court cases best justifies the actions taken by law enforcement in this scenario?

• Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)

• Engel v. Vitale 

  (1962)

• New York Times v. United States (1971)

• Schenck v. United States (1919)

Which of the following is one of the central concerns of the First Amendment?

• The supremacy of the national over the state governments

• The right of citizens to bear arms

• The division of powers among the three branches of government

• The right of citizens to petition the government for redress of grievances

All of the following statements reflect positions the Supreme Court has taken with regard to the right of free speech EXCEPT:

• A restriction on the right of free speech should always be viewed with skepticism.

• There are no acceptable governmental restrictions on free speech.

• Government has an obligation to try to ensure citizens the right to be heard.

•     The right to free speech is a fundamental natural right.

Interest groups are protected under the Constitution by the

• First Amendment

• provisions of Article I, Section 8

•   Ninth Amendment

• Tenth Amendment

Which of the following is a principle underlying the Bill of Rights?

• The people should control all aspects of governance.

• Some rights are fundamental and should not be subject to majoritarian control.

• The legislature should be the most powerful branch of government.

• people should be guaranteed the same rights, whether they are citizens or not.

Which of the following scenarios illustrates an action that would be protected by the free exercise clause in the First Amendment?

• A student wears a T-shirt to public school portraying an illegal substance.

• A person legally purchases a firearm for the purpose of self-defense.

• A person wears a necklace bearing a Christian cross to work.

• A state mandates the reading of a prayer at the beginning of the school day.