Chapter 19 - Civil Liberties: First Amendment Freedoms

Shield Law

A law which gives reporters some protection against having to disclose their sources or reveal other confidential information in legal proceedings.

Civil Rights

A term used for those positive acts of government that seek to make constitutional guarantees a reality for all people e.g., prohibitions of discrimination.

Parochial

Church-related, as in a parochial school.

Symbolic Speech

Expression by conduct; communicating ideas through facial expressions, body language, or by carrying a sign r wearing an arm band.

Libel

False and malicious use of printed words.

Slander

False and malicious use of spoken words.

Alien

Foreign-born resident, or non-citizen.

Due Process Clause

Part of the 14th Amendment which guarantees that no state deny basic rights to its people.

Picketing

Patrolling of a business site by workers who are on strike.

Establishment Clause

Separates church and state.

Seditious Speech

The advocating, or urging, of an attempt to overthrow the government by force, or to disrupt its lawful activities with violence.

Sedition

The crime of attempting to overthrow the government by force, or to disrupt its lawful activities by violent acts.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution.

Prior Restraint

The government cannot curb ideas before they are expressed.

Content Neutral

The government may not regulate assemblies on the basis on what might be said.

Civil Liberties

The guarantees of the safety of persons, opinions, and property from the arbitrary acts of government, including freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

Process of Incorporation

The process of incorporating, or including, most of the guarantees in the Bill of Rights into the 14th Amendment's Due Process Clause.

Right of Association

The right to associate with others to promote political, economic, and other social causes.

Free Exercise Clause

The second part of the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom, which guarantees to each person the right to believe whatever he or she chooses to believe in matters of religion.

Assemble

To gather with one another in order to express views on public matters.