Supreme Court Landmark Cases
"Who can say that the legislature of Alabama which set up that state's segregation laws was democratically elected? Throughout Alabama all sorts of devious methods are used to prevent Negroes from becoming registered voters, and there are some counties in which, even though Negroes constitute a majority of the population, not a single Negro is registered. Can any law enacted under such circumstances be considered democratically structured?" -Excerpt from King, Martin Luther Jr., "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" in Why We Can't Wait, ed. Martin Luther King, Jr., 77-100, 1963. Which of the following statements best explains Martin Luther King's argument regarding democratic participation in the above excerpt?
A law affecting African Americans is unjust if they had no part in creating it as a result of being denied the right to vote
Which of the following scenarios would most likely be considered a violation of the Eighth Amendment?
A minor is sentenced to the death penalty
"Universities cannot establish quotas for members of certain racial or ethnic groups or put them on separate admissions tracks. The Law School's admissions program . . . satisfies these requirements. Moreover, the program is flexible enough to ensure that each applicant is evaluated as an individual and not in a way that makes race or ethnicity the defining feature of the application. The Law School engages in a highly individualized, holistic review of each applicant's file, giving serious consideration to all the ways an applicant might contribute to a diverse educational environment." Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, writing for the Court in Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) Which of the following governmental policies would the author most likely support?
A state university admissions program that takes race into account as part of an individual's overall record.
Which of the following scenarios would most likely be considered a violation of the Fifth Amendment?
A suspect is not informed that anything he says while under arrest can be used in his trial against him.
"As this Court's cases have made clear, however, the compelling interest that justifies consideration of race in college admissions is not an interest in enrolling a certain number of minority students. Rather, a university may institute a race-conscious admissions program as a means of obtaining 'the educational benefits that flow from student body diversity'. . . . "Increasing minority enrollment may be instrumental to these educational benefits, but it is not, as petitioner seems to suggest, a goal that can or should be reduced to pure numbers. " Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, opinion of the court in Fisher v. University of Texas (2013) Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?
Colleges and universities should be allowed to use race as a factor in admissions
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of civil liberties and civil rights? Civil liberties Civil rights A) Right to a fair court trial Freedom from racial discrimination B) Freedom of religion Freedom of assembly C) Freedom from gender discrimination Freedom from unreasonable search and seizure D) Right to vote Right to privacy
Comparison A
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the two court cases? McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) United States v. Lopez (1995) A Ruled that national laws were supreme to state laws Ruled that the Gun-Free School Zones Act was unconstitutional B Led to an increase in power for state governments Led to an increase in power for the federal government C Declared that states did not have the power to tax the federal government Declared that Congress had implied powers to carry out their enumerated powers D Established the power of judicial review Established limits to states' rights under the Tenth Amendment
Comparison B
Which of the following statements best explains how the Court's ruling in Engel v. Vitale (1962) changed the balance between governmental power and individual liberty?
It limited the power of the state governments by striking down a school policy that required the reading of a prayer at the start of the school day.
"The Second Amendment was adopted to protect the right of the people of each of the several States to maintain a well-regulated militia. It was a response to concerns raised during the ratification of the Constitution that the power of Congress to disarm the state militias and create a national standing army posed an intolerable threat to the sovereignty of the several States. Neither the text of the Amendment nor the arguments advanced by its proponents evidenced the slightest interest in limiting any legislature's authority to regulate private civilian uses of firearms. Specifically, there is no indication that the Framers of the Amendment intended to enshrine the common-law right of self-defense in the Constitution." Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, dissenting opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) People who disagree with Stevens's view on the rights protected under the Second Amendment could cite which of the following Supreme Court cases to support their argument?
McDonald v. Chicago (2010)
DISCLAIMER
NOT ALL ANSWERS ARE CORRECT, sorry :(
Supporters of Justice Black's view that "only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government" could point to which of the following cases?
New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)
"As this Court's cases have made clear, however, the compelling interest that justifies consideration of race in college admissions is not an interest in enrolling a certain number of minority students. Rather, a university may institute a race-conscious admissions program as a means of obtaining 'the educational benefits that flow from student body diversity'. . . . "Increasing minority enrollment may be instrumental to these educational benefits, but it is not, as petitioner seems to suggest, a goal that can or should be reduced to pure numbers." Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, opinion of the court in Fisher v. University of Texas (2013) Which of the following statements is most consistent with the author's argument in this passage?term-25
The Constitution only forbids racial classifications when they are designed to harm minorities, not to help them.
Based on previous rulings, which of the following scenarios would most likely violate the freedom of speech clause of the First Amendment?
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) makes a rule banning newspapers from publishing political cartoons that negatively depict political officials.
In 2013, Edward Snowden released classified information showing that the National Security Agency (NSA) was conducting a massive surveillance program by collecting data from major cell phone providers. Which of the following amendments provides the basis for an accusation of unconsitutional action by the NSA?
The Fourth Amendment
"The Second Amendment was adopted to protect the right of the people of each of the several States to maintain a well-regulated militia. It was a response to concerns raised during the ratification of the Constitution that the power of Congress to disarm the state militias and create a national standing army posed an intolerable threat to the sovereignty of the several States. Neither the text of the Amendment nor the arguments advanced by its proponents evidenced the slightest interest in limiting any legislature's authority to regulate private civilian uses of firearms. Specifically, there is no indication that the Framers of the Amendment intended to enshrine the common-law right of self-defense in the Constitution." Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, dissenting opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) Which of the following statements is most consistent with the author's argument in this passage?
The Second Amendment does not protect a person's right to have a weapon for self-defense.
In 1952, four African American students in Topeka, Kansas were denied access to certain public schools because of laws segregating public education by race. Which of the following statements describes how the Supreme Court responded to this situation?
The Supreme Court ruled that the "separate but equal" doctrine violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Which of the following is an example of a social movement motivated by the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?
The Women's Rights movement
Which of the following constitutional provisions does the case described in the scenario have in common with McDonald v. Chicago (2010)?
The due process clause
In 1961, the Supreme Court heard a case in which the police entered into a residence without a warrant looking for a suspect thought to be hiding in the house. While searching for the suspect, the police found illegal pornographic material. The police arrested the homeowner and she was convicted of possessing pornography. The Court decided to throw out the conviction because the police did not have a search warrant. This case is an example of which of the following?
The exclusionary rule
In 2006, the Supreme Court heard a case about a state banning a substance used during religious ceremonies. The state banned the substance because it contained a drug prohibited by the Controlled Substances Act. But the religious organization, O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao de Vegetal (UDV) said the government was interfering with religious practices by banning the use of the substance. The Supreme Court agreed and ruled that the government did not prove a compelling interest in regulating the UDV's use of drugs for religious ceremonies. Which of the following constitutional clauses does this case have in common with Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)?
The free exercise clause
"Everyone believes that the FBI should have the tools it needs to catch dangerous criminals. But too often over the past decade, intelligence and law enforcement agencies choose approaches that sweep up information from millions of innocent Americans instead of targeting terrorists and criminals. These approaches don't make us safer. "The changes to Rule 41 allow the FBI to hack millions of victims of cybercrime. These victims of hacks are regular people, not criminals." -Cecilia Kang, "Ron Wyden Discusses Encryption, Data Privacy and Security," New York Times, October 9, 2016 Based on the text, which of the following statements would Senator Wyden most likely agree with?
The need for public safety should not exceed an individual's protection from unreasonable search and seizure
Selective incorporation is best defined as which of the following?
the legal requirement that an individual's rights must be respected by a state or government; protected at the federal level by the Fifth Amendment, and at the state level by the Fourteenth Amendment
Based on previous rulings, the Supreme Court is most likely to view a case concerning which of the following as an establishment clause case?
A court house prominently displays the Ten Commandments in their front lobby
"The character of every act depends upon the circumstances in which it is done. The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic." ...Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Supporters of Justice Holmes's argument could point to which of the following cases?
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
In Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964), the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government has the right to regulate public accommodation under the commerce clause. After this decision, the federal government, under the authority of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, forced public places to desegregate. This scenario is an example of which of the following?
The Supreme Court issuing a ruling that protects minority rights
"It is clear that the ancient and humane limitation upon the State's ability to execute its sentences has as firm a hold upon the jurisprudence of today as it had centuries ago in England. The various reasons put forth in support of the common-law restriction [on executing the insane] have no less logical, moral, and practical force than they did when first voiced. For today, no less than before, we may seriously question the retributive value of executing a person who has no comprehension of why he has been singled out and stripped of his fundamental right to life." -Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall, majority opinion in Ford v. Wainwright (1986) Which of the following statements is most consistent with the author's argument in this passage?
There are limits on who can be given a death penalty sentence.