Final Exam - GOV 353.OL1

Final Exam
GOV 353.OL1
Name____________________
Instructions: This is an “open book” exam meaning you can use any/all of your
course resources posted on Blackboard to answer the questions below as well as
your textbook. You may also use the internet but must site any and all
sources.Your responses will be evaluated based on clarity, accuracy, specificity,
completeness, the demonstration of critical thinking, grammar, punctuation,
organization and syntax.
Constitutional Amendments - Short Answer: (20 points)
1. The Thirteenth Amendment in the US Constitution prohibits slavery and
involuntary servitude.
2. Section 1 of the Fifteenth Amendment to the US Constitutionprotects
citizens’ right to vote regardless of race.
3. The Amendment I in the US Constitutionprotects the right to peaceably
assemble, for example to protest against racial injustice.
4. Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits the government from
denying equal protection of the laws.
5. Equal protection means not depriving any person of life, liberty or
property without due process of law.
6. The Fifth and the Fourteenth Amendment in the US Constitutionrequires
the government to provide due process.
7. Due process means protection from arbitrary denial of life, liberty or
property by the government.
8. Amendment XIX to the US Constitution protects citizens’ right to vote
regardless of gender.
9. Amendment XXIV prohibits poll taxes.
10. The Equal Rights Amendmentwas introduced in Congress and would
guarantee all the American citizensequal rights but has yet to be adopted
because few legislative states have refused to ratify the amendment.
Federal Laws – Short Answer: (20 points)
1. CRA stands for Civil Rights Act, the purpose of which is toinjunctive relief
against discrimination in public accommodations, to authorize the
Attorney General to institute suits to protect constitutional rights in public
facilities.
2. VRA stands for Voting Rights Act, the purpose of which is to prohibit racial
discrimination in voting.
3. ADA stands for Americans with Disabilities Act, the purpose of which is to
provide equal opportunities to individuals with disabilities.
4. ADAA stands for the ADA Amendments Act of 2008,the purpose of which is to
extend the protections under ADA to a greater number of people.
5. The CRA was amended four times, most recently in 2009.
6. The VRA was amended seven times, most recently in 2006.

7. Section 5 of the VRA was invalided in 2013 by a Supreme Court decision.
8. Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia attempted to stop the CRA by speaking on
the floor for over 14 hours.
9. FHA stands for the Fair Housing Act, the purpose of which is to protect the
buyer or renter of a dwelling from seller or landlord discrimination.
10. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects employees from discrimination by the
employers on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin and religion.
Case Law – Short Answer: (20 points)
1. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)was a class
action heard by the Supreme Court involving the issue of segregation in public
schools that was decided in 1954.
2. In Shelby County v. Holder, 570 U.S. (2013),the Supreme Court struck down
a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, the preclearance section, calling it
“unconstitutional.”
3. In 2017, the Supreme Court in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School
District,held that school districts must offer children with a disability an
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that is reasonably calculated to enable each child
to make progress appropriate for that child’s circumstances.
4. Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. (2015)is a landmark civil rights case in which
the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the fundamental right to marry is
guaranteed under the Constitution to same-sex couples.
5. In a 4-3 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Fisher v.
University of Texas (2013)upheld the University of Texas’ affirmative action
program.
6. InLoving v. Virginia, the Court struck down state laws which prohibited inter-
racial marriage and held that marriage was a fundamental right.
7. In 1974, the Supreme Court struck down a mandatory maternity leave policy for
public school employees as violating the Due Process guarantees of the Fifth and
Fourteenth Amendments, inCleveland Board of Education v. LaFleur.
8. The Court in Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003)invalidated all remaining
sodomy bans, and held that criminalizing same-sex conduct is a violation of the
right to privacy.
9. The Supreme Court upheld the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a valid exercise of
Congressional power under the Commerce Clause inHeart of Atlanta Motel, Inc.
v. United States, 379 U.S. 241 (1964)thereby prohibiting private discrimination
in public accommodations, such as motels and restaurants.
10. The Court in PGA Tour, Inc. v. Martin, held that Title III of the ADAprohibits
the PGA from denying the plaintiff equal access to its tours on the basis of his
disability and that the plaintiff’s requested accommodation was not a modification
that would “fundamentally alter the nature” of the game.
Essay Questions: (Response = maximum of 250 words) ANSWERTWO of the three
questions below.
20 points each = 40 points total.