GVPT 170 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: White Primaries, De Facto, Civil Disobedience

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

Document Summary

9th amendment : people retain all rights not specifically enumerated in the constitution. Supreme court has used the 9th amendment to define the limits of government encroachment on personal autonomy. Key case #1: griswold v. connecticut (1965) Court ruled that there is an individual zone of privacy around each individual and their decisions about sex and reproduction. Key case #2: roe v. wade (1973) Court limited states" ability to restrict abortion by trimester. Ruled that abortion in the first trimester is protected by the 9th and 14th amendments, and the implied right to privacy. Key case #3: lawrence v. texas (2003) Court ruled unconstitutional a texas law that prohibited homosexual relations. As in the case of criminal justice, sometimes civil liberties protect unsympathetic individuals. Illustrates how the court"s interpretation of the constitution can change. This may mean that public opinion is not always supportive of the court"s rulings. Definition: rights that guarantee individuals freedom from discrimination.