Which amendment is commonly associated with the protection of due process for individuals at risk of state action?

Which amendment is commonly associated with the protection of due process for individuals at risk of state action?

• A. First
• B. Sixth
• C. Fourteenth
• D. Ninth

Answer: (C)

Protection against state action through due process is provided by the Fourteenth Amendment. Its Due Process Clause bars states from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without fair legal process, and through incorporation it has made many rights in the Bill of Rights applicable to the states. The other amendments protect specific rights—for example, First protects speech and religion, Sixth covers criminal trial rights, and the Ninth reserves unenumerated rights—but they do not establish the broad due process shield against state action in the way the Fourteenth does. The Fifth Amendment also has a due process clause, but it applies to the federal government, not the states.

Protection against state action through due process is provided by the Fourteenth Amendment. Its Due Process Clause bars states from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without fair legal process, and through incorporation it has made many rights in the Bill of Rights applicable to the states. The other amendments protect specific rights—for example, First protects speech and religion, Sixth covers criminal trial rights, and the Ninth reserves unenumerated rights—but they do not establish the broad due process shield against state action in the way the Fourteenth does. The Fifth Amendment also has a due process clause, but it applies to the federal government, not the states.