Baker v. Carr (1962) is the U.S. Supreme Court case that held that federal courts could hear cases alleging that a state’s drawing of electoral boundaries, i.e. redistricting, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment...
CIVICS
balancing test
A “balancing test” is defined as a subjective test with which a court weighs competing interests. For instance, a court would weigh the interest between an inmate's liberty interest and the government's interest in public safety, to decide...
ballot
Ballot has a variety of meanings: 1) a method or process of casting a vote, 2) the actual paper, card, or machine that indicates a voter’s choices in an election, 3) the total number of votes cast in an election, and 4) a list of candidates...
bankruptcy
Overview:
Bankruptcy law provides for the reduction or elimination of certain debts, and can provide a timeline for the repayment of nondischargeable debts over time. It also permits individuals and organizations to repay secured debt....
bankruptcy court
There are 94 federal judicial districts. Each of these districts handle bankruptcy matters. Bankruptcy courts refer to the courts in each district that specifically hear bankruptcy cases. In almost every district, bankruptcy courts hear...
bankruptcy power
The United States Constitution authorizes Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 4 with the power to “establish uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States." The bankruptcy laws that Congress makes have to be...
basis of the bargain test
Under section 2-313 of the Uniform Commercial Code, when determining whether an express warranty exists or is valid in a sale of goods between two parties, the court asks if any promise or affirmation, any description of the goods, or any...
BCRA
Overview:
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) was signed into law in March of 2002. On the same day that BCRA became official federal policy, Senator Mitch McConnell and the National Rifle Association (NRA) both filed complaints...
bench trial
Bench trial refers to the type of trial that does not involve a jury but is conducted by the judge alone, in which the judge both decides the facts of the case and applies the law. The word bench in the law is in reference to the judge, so a...
Berne Convention
The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is an international set of laws that protects copyrighted works from infringement across the member countries. The convention was created in Berne, Switzerland in 1886...