POLS 206 TAMU CORRECT FINAL PAPER QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Bill of attainder - ✔✔- A law declaring an act illegal without providing a judicial trial
✔✔Ex post facto law - ✔✔- Laws that criminalize an act even if it was legal when
committed
- Increases the punishment for a crime after it was already committed
- Changes the rule of evidence to make conviction easier
- ex: speeding
✔✔Necessary and proper clause - ✔✔- Allows Congress to make all laws necessary
and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government
✔✔Nullification (nullification doctrine) - ✔✔- States could invalidate federal laws
deemed unconstitutional
✔✔Privileges and immunities clause - ✔✔- Guarantees that citizens of each state have
same rights as citizens of all other states
✔✔Civil liberties - ✔✔- Personal guarantees and freedoms that government cannot
abridge, either by law, constitution, or judicial interpretation
- freedom from arbitrary and discriminatory treatment
✔✔Espionage Act 1917 - ✔✔- Prohibits sharing information with intent to interfere with
operation or success of armed forces of U.S. or to promote the success of its enemies
- Originally → prevent disclosure of classified information from an authorized person
, - Ex. Edward Snowden charged for leaking information → Worked for NSA
✔✔Symbolic Speech - ✔✔- The use of symbols, rather than words to convey ideas
- Actions that convey a particular message
- Men burned their draft cards during Vietnam War
- Students wore black armbands to school to protest the war
✔✔Libel - ✔✔- False written statement that defames a character of a person
- Hard to prove in the U.S.; finding of libel against a public official could only stand if the
"actual malice", or a knowing disregard for the truth, was shown.
- Example: Jezebel article about Ted Cruz
✔✔Slander - ✔✔- False spoken statement that defames the character of a person
✔✔Establishment clause - ✔✔- Directs the national government not to sanction an
official religion
✔✔Seditious speech - ✔✔- Speech that encourages rebellion against the government
✔✔Sedition Act 1918 - ✔✔- Prohibited disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive
language about the form of government, Constitution, Soldiers and sailors, flag or
uniform of the armed forces
✔✔Prior Restraint - ✔✔- An official government restriction of speech prior to publication
-Can be punished after publishing materials if it breaks the law
✔✔Exclusionary rule - ✔✔- Bars the use of evidence obtained in violation of the 4th
Amendment; goal to deter police from illegal conduct
✔✔Free exercise clause - ✔✔- Prohibits the U.S. government from interfering with a
citizen's right to practice his or her religion
✔✔Writs of habeas corpus - ✔✔- A court order that requires authorities to bring the
accused to court and can be freed from unlawful detention
-lincoln suspended during civil war
✔✔Hyde Amendment (1976) - ✔✔- Abortion was excluded in comprehensive health
care services provided to low-income people by federal government → Medicaid
AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Bill of attainder - ✔✔- A law declaring an act illegal without providing a judicial trial
✔✔Ex post facto law - ✔✔- Laws that criminalize an act even if it was legal when
committed
- Increases the punishment for a crime after it was already committed
- Changes the rule of evidence to make conviction easier
- ex: speeding
✔✔Necessary and proper clause - ✔✔- Allows Congress to make all laws necessary
and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government
✔✔Nullification (nullification doctrine) - ✔✔- States could invalidate federal laws
deemed unconstitutional
✔✔Privileges and immunities clause - ✔✔- Guarantees that citizens of each state have
same rights as citizens of all other states
✔✔Civil liberties - ✔✔- Personal guarantees and freedoms that government cannot
abridge, either by law, constitution, or judicial interpretation
- freedom from arbitrary and discriminatory treatment
✔✔Espionage Act 1917 - ✔✔- Prohibits sharing information with intent to interfere with
operation or success of armed forces of U.S. or to promote the success of its enemies
- Originally → prevent disclosure of classified information from an authorized person
, - Ex. Edward Snowden charged for leaking information → Worked for NSA
✔✔Symbolic Speech - ✔✔- The use of symbols, rather than words to convey ideas
- Actions that convey a particular message
- Men burned their draft cards during Vietnam War
- Students wore black armbands to school to protest the war
✔✔Libel - ✔✔- False written statement that defames a character of a person
- Hard to prove in the U.S.; finding of libel against a public official could only stand if the
"actual malice", or a knowing disregard for the truth, was shown.
- Example: Jezebel article about Ted Cruz
✔✔Slander - ✔✔- False spoken statement that defames the character of a person
✔✔Establishment clause - ✔✔- Directs the national government not to sanction an
official religion
✔✔Seditious speech - ✔✔- Speech that encourages rebellion against the government
✔✔Sedition Act 1918 - ✔✔- Prohibited disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive
language about the form of government, Constitution, Soldiers and sailors, flag or
uniform of the armed forces
✔✔Prior Restraint - ✔✔- An official government restriction of speech prior to publication
-Can be punished after publishing materials if it breaks the law
✔✔Exclusionary rule - ✔✔- Bars the use of evidence obtained in violation of the 4th
Amendment; goal to deter police from illegal conduct
✔✔Free exercise clause - ✔✔- Prohibits the U.S. government from interfering with a
citizen's right to practice his or her religion
✔✔Writs of habeas corpus - ✔✔- A court order that requires authorities to bring the
accused to court and can be freed from unlawful detention
-lincoln suspended during civil war
✔✔Hyde Amendment (1976) - ✔✔- Abortion was excluded in comprehensive health
care services provided to low-income people by federal government → Medicaid
