No Warrant, No Problem?
Police kick in your door “just to check” on you. They find drugs instead of danger. They call it this exception.
What is the emergency-aid exception?
This clause makes federal law the “boss” of the land.
What is the Supremacy Clause?
This principle ensures the government can’t just “wing it” when taking away your rights.
What is due process?
This clause says states can’t tear up your signed deals.
What is the Contract Clause?
Michael Wiskowski was found asleep here and woke up in a constitutional debate.
What is a McDonald’s drive-thru?
The tension at the heart of Case v. Montana: safety vs. this constitutional value.
What is privacy?
When state laws clash with federal ones, this doctrine hits the reset button.
What is preemption?
"You get a hearing and notice before we take your stuff", that's this type of due process.
What is procedural due process?
Freedom of religion means the government cannot establish a church, and individuals are free to practice their own religion. What are the names of these two clauses?
What are the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause?
What legal motion did Wiskowski file to challenge the stop?
What is a motion to suppress evidence?
This “invisible shield” protects you from unreasonable government searches.
What is the Fourth Amendment?
The Supreme Court says “probable cause required,” and Montana has to follow, thanks to this system of divided power.
What is federalism?
“This type of due process focuses on whether the law itself is fair, not just how it’s applied.”
What is substantive due process?
Which amendment guarantees due process protections?
What is the Fourteenth Amendment?
What was the outcome of Wiskowski’s case?
What is his OWI conviction was overturned?
If the evidence was found illegally, the court says “nope.” This rule throws it out.
What is the exclusionary rule?
This amendment basically says, “If D.C. didn’t claim it, the states keep it.”
What is the Tenth Amendment?
Protecting home privacy under the Fourth Amendment prevents due process from being compromised.
What is government overreach or chaos?
What type of speech is not protected under the First Amendment?
What are fighting words or obscenity?
What legal doctrine was narrowed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court?
What is the community caretaking exception?
When officers act on a hunch instead of hard proof, they may be missing this crucial legal threshold.
What is probable cause?
Federalism is like a seesaw; one side holds national authority, while the other holds state authority.
What is state independence?
The Due Process Clause and the Fourth Amendment often work together to protect this.
What is individual liberty?
From contracts to searches, the real constitutional theme is striking a balance between these two forces.
What are individual rights and government power?
When the Court draws the line between "caretaking" and "intruding," it's defining this constitutional boundary.
What are the limits of government power?