| Due Process | The principal, guaranteed by the Constitution, must not deprive an individual of life, liberty or property by unfair or unreasonable actions. |
| Slander | the utterance of false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another's reputation |
| Libel | a written or oral defamatory statement or representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable |
| Arraignment | Official date of trial; suspect has been formally indicted is given the choice of saying if they did or did not commit the crime |
| Plea Bargain | the negotiation of an agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant whereby the defendant is permitted to plead guilty to a reduced charge |
| Indictment | a formal written statement framed by a prosecuting authority and found by a jury (as a grand jury) charging a person with an offense |
| Civil Law | the law established by a nation or state for its own jurisdiction |
| Crimial Law | the law of crimes and their punishments |
| Felony | a crime for which the punishment in federal law may be death or imprisonment for more than one year |
| Misdemeanor | a crime less serious than a felony |
| Defendent | In a criminal Case this is the person charged with committing a crime. In a civil case it is the person(s) or coorperation from which the plantiff wants to collect damages |
| Plantiff | In a Civi Case, the person(s) or corperation asserting a claim for damages allegedly sustained as a result of the conduct of the defendent |
| Precedent | a legal case establishing a principle or rule that a court or other judicial body adopts when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. |
| Free Exercise Clause | Part of the First Amendment that states that Congerss may not make laws restricting or prohibiting a person's religious practices |
| Grand Jury | A group of citizens to inquire into crime and bring accusatioins (indictments) against suspected criminals |
| Petit Jury | A group of citizens sworn to hear tesimony and determine facts in a trial |
| Pure Speech | Verbal communication of ideas and opinions, in front of a voulantary audiance is strongly protected by the government. |
| Speech Plus | Verbal Communication that involves action (marching, demonstrating) and is somewhat protected by the government |
| Symbolic Speech | Communication using little or no verbal communication. This is the most controversial prorotected form of speech and is barley protected by the government. |
| Verdict | Formal decision made by a jury, read before the court, and accepted by the people. |
| Establishment Clause | States that Congress cannot establish a definite religion. |
| Habeas Corpus | Requires a person to be brought before a judge. It is usually used to dirct an official to produce a prisoner os that the court may determine if such a person has been denied his liberty without due process |
| S.C.L.C. | Southern Christian Leadership Conferance- Headed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Focused on a non-violent civil disobedience and used it to gain civil rights for African Americans. |
| S.N.C.C | Studnet Non-Violent Coordinating Comittee- Played a lead role in the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, and Sit-Ins. |
| C.O.R.E | Congress of Racial Equality- Played a central role in the civil rights movement. Taught non-violence as a tactic against segrigation |
| N.A.A.C.P | National Association for the Advancement of Colored People- one of the oldest and the most influential civil rights orgainizations. |
| Majority Opinion | a judicial opinion agreed to by a majority of the members of a court |
| Dissenting Opinion | an opinion of one or more judges expressing disagreement with the majority opinion |
| Discrimination | to make a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual merit |
| Congress | Section of the Federal Government that makes laws |
| Bill | A document that can be writen by any U.S citizen that is introduced to Congress and can be passed as a Law |
| Mark-Up | a United States Congressional committee session at which a bill is put into final form before it is reported out |
| Conference Committee | Created when the House and the Senate have passed different versions of the same bill |
| Veto | When Congress passes a bill on to the presedent, and he sends it back to Congress, where it can be overriden by a 2/3 vote |