What is the process of selective incorporation and why is it important to the Rights Americans enjoy today?

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What is selective incorporation?

Selective incorporation is defined as a constitutional doctrine that ensures that states cannot create laws that infringe or take away the constitutional rights of citizens. The part of the constitution that provides for selective incorporation is the 14th Amendment.

How does it work?

The Supreme Court uses the Fourteenth Amendment to selectively incorporate these rights.

The Fourteenth Amendment đź“ś states that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the United States and of the State that they reside in.

It also states that the State cannot create “any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” It is this part, aka the Equal Protections Clause, that the Supreme Court ⚖️ often cites when making rulings.

Cases & Examples

An example of this is the court case of McDonald v Chicago (2010), that we reviewed earlier, which ruled to limit gun control laws in Chicago. This relates back to selective incorporation because the citizens’ right to bear arms relates to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. 

Another historic court case related to selective incorporation is Mapp v Ohio (1961). which ruled that illegally seized evidence cannot be used in court against the accused. The Court held that evidence collected from an unlawful search be excluded from trial. This ruling incorporated the Fourth Amendment’s protection of privacy using the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment.

key questions

  • What is due process?
  • What does the Equal Protection Clause do?
  • What is selective incorporation?

Resources:

What's the process of selective incorporation?

After the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Supreme Court favored a process called “selective incorporation.” Under selective incorporation, the Supreme Court would incorporate certain parts of certain amendments, rather than incorporating an entire amendment at once.

Why was the selective incorporation important?

Over a succession of rulings, the Supreme Court has established the doctrine of selective incorporation to limit state regulation of civil rights and liberties, holding that many protections of the Bill of Rights apply to every level of government, not just the federal.

What Rights have been selectively incorporated?

Among them are: The First Amendment's freedom of speech, press, and religion. The First Amendment's prohibition of state-established religion. The Second Amendment's right to bear arms.

What is selective incorporation give an example?

Selective Incorporation Examples in the Supreme Court. Holding the States to the Fifth Amendment Takings Clause (Eminent Domain) Ruling on Freedom of Speech that Endangers Citizens. States Have no Authority to Limit Religious Speech.