GVPT 170 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: The New York Times, Hate Speech, Free Exercise Clause

• School: University of Maryland
• Department: Government and Politics
• Course: GVPT 170
• Professor: All

Document Summary

Civil liberties & the bill of rights. Focus on the trade-off between freedom & order. Civil liberties focuses on freedoms that protect citizens from governmental abuses of power. Restrict what government can do to you. 14th amendment : no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of the law. Used to apply fundamental rights to the states and protect civil liberties from state governments as well. Two key parts to freedom of religion: Government can not sponsor or endorse one religion as the national religion or favor religion over no religion. Government must maintain neutrality, but this does not bar all assistance to religious institutions. Thomas jefferson"s separation of state and church doctrine. Congress cannot prohibit or interfere with practice of religion . but first amendment does not necessarily protect all actions based on religious beliefs.