Kyle HansenPeriod 4AP Government4/2/14Free Response MatrixThe Fourteenth Amendment states that no state shall deprive an individual of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Because of this amendment the Supreme Court now applies the Bill of Rights to states through selective incorporation. The Court now incorporates the States Bill of Rights on a law-by-law and case-by-case basis. Due to Gitlow v. New York (1925) which established that freedom of speech and of the press are protected by the First Amendment and cannot be abridged by the states. Individuals can now appear in Federal Court when their rights are violated by the state. Do This The Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954) was a lawsuit brought against the board of education of Topeka, Kansas by African American parents to end racial segregation in the district's schools. The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation was unconstitutional because it violated the “equal protection clause” of the Fourteenth Amendment. The court ruled that it was unconstitutional because it rejected equal treatment of African Americans under the law. This ruling was a reversal of Plessy v. Ferguson establishing that separate but equal was equal. The Supreme Court decision Miranda v. Arizona (1966) dealt with the "due process clause" of the Fourteenth Amendment. Ernesto Miranda was a man who was arrested, interrogated by the police and eventually confessed to rape and kidnapping. At no time did the police inform Miranda of his right to remain silent, his right to an attorney, or that anything he said could be used against him in court. The Due Process Clause states that no state may take the life, liberty, or... middle of paper of a citizen... that it is unconstitutional for private religious schools to receive state funding to pay private school teachers to teach. In the Supreme Court decision Oregon v. Smith, the court based its decision on the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. The decision in Oregon v. Smith also banned the taking of drugs for religious purposes or ceremonies. The Supreme Court's impact through decisions could be limited if Congress decides to pass a constitutional amendment overriding the Court's decision. Another way in which the impact of court decisions could be limited could be through enforcement of the decision by the executive branch. If they decide they don't like the decision they may refuse to implement it. Fiscal policy has to do with the budget. When the government uses fiscal policy, it does so through taxation and spending as a means of influencing the economy.