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ch.4
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| civil liberties | freedom to think and act without government interference or fear of unfair legal treatment. |
| censorship | the banning of printed materials or films due to alarming or offensive ideas. |
| petition | a formal request for government actions. |
| slander | spoken untruths that are harmful to someones reputation. |
| libel | written untruths that are harmful to someones reputation. |
| search warrant | a court order allowing law enforcement officers to search a suspects home or business and take specific items as evidence. |
| indictment | a formal charge by a grand jury. |
| grand jury | a group of citizens that decides whether there is sufficient evidence. |
| double jeopardy | putting someone on trial for a crime which he or she was previously acquitted. |
| due process | following establishment legal procedures. |
| eminent domain | the right of government to take private property for public use. |
| bail | a sum of money used as a security deposit to ensure that an accused person returns for his or her trial. |
| suffrage | the right to vote. |
| poll tax | a sum of money required of voters before they are permitted to cash a ballot. |
| discrimination | unfair treatment based on prejudice against a certain group. |
| segregation | the social separation of the races. |
| civil rights | the rights of full citizenship and equality under the law. |
| affirmative action | programs intended to make up for the past discrimination by helping minority groups and women gain access to jobs and opportunities. |
| racial profiling | singling out an individual as a suspect due to appearance of ethnicity. |