Fundamental rights are a group of rights that have been recognized by the Supreme Court as requiring a high degree of protection from government encroachment. These rights are specifically identified in the Constitution (especially...
individual rights
fundamental right
Overview
Furman v. Georgia (1972)
Furman v. Georgia (1972) is a U.S. Supreme Court case regarding the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment in death penalty cases. In this case, petitioner William Henry Furman was convicted of murder in Georgia; petitioner...
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (“GINA”) protects individuals from genetic discrimination in matter of employment and health insurance. As genetic science began to advance rapidly in the 1990s, many began to worry that...
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Gideon v Wainwright, is a U.S. Supreme Court case in which the Court used the Due Process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to extend the constitutional right to an attorney in federal criminal cases for those who could not afford...
Gitlow v. New York (1925)
Gitlow v. New York is a U.S. Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that the First Amendment right to free speech applied to state laws under the Fourteenth Amendment. However, the Supreme Court held that fundamental rights, including...
grand jury
A grand jury is a group of people selected to sit on a jury that decide whether the prosecutor’s evidence provides probable cause to issue an indictment. An indictment formally charges a person with committing a crime and begins the criminal...
grandfather clause
Grandfather clause refers to a section of a law, regulation, or other legal document that limits how changes will be applied to legal relations and activities existing prior to the change. When laws and regulations go through major changes,...
grandfathered in
Grandfathered in refers to conduct that receives the benefit of a grandfather clause, allowing this conduct to receive the treatment of prior laws or rules. After legal changes, most conduct will have to abide by the new rules, but many who...
green card
A green card, officially known as a Permanent Resident Card, is the common term used to describe a permanent resident card. The green card allows its holders to live and work permanently in the United States.
This plastic...
guardian of the estate
Guardian of the estate refers to a type of guardianship where the court appoints a guardian to manage the finances of an individual. This type of guardian may be appointed for children, incapacitated adults, or spendthrifts in some...