US Due Process and Equal Protection

Question 1

What protection does the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment primarily provide?

Accepted Answer

Protection against deprivation of life, liberty, or property without due process

Answer

The Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment prohibits states from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

Question 2

Which Supreme Court case established the 'separate but equal' doctrine that justified racial segregation?

Accepted Answer

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Answer

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) upheld racial segregation laws under the 'separate but equal' doctrine, which remained the law of the land until Brown v. Board of Education overturned it.

Question 3

What level of judicial scrutiny do courts apply to laws that classify people based on race?

Accepted Answer

Strict scrutiny

Answer

Strict scrutiny is the most demanding standard of review and is applied to racial classifications because race is a 'suspect classification' under the Equal Protection Clause.

Question 4

Which constitutional amendment contains the Equal Protection Clause?

Accepted Answer

14th Amendment

Answer

The Equal Protection Clause is found in Section 1 of the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868 after the Civil War to address the rights of freed slaves.

Question 5

Which landmark Supreme Court case unanimously overturned the 'separate but equal' doctrine in public education?

Accepted Answer

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Answer

Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ruled unanimously that racially segregated public schools were inherently unequal and violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

US Constitution Exam Practice Test

US Constitution Exam Practice Test

US Due Process and Equal Protection