If the Supreme Court heard a case about African Americans being denied the right to vote, what would the justices use to determine if the discrimination was justified?
Responses
the strict scrutiny test
the strict scrutiny test
the rational bias test
the rational bias test
the litmus test
the litmus test
the Lemon test
the Lemon test
The correct answer is the strict scrutiny test. The Supreme Court has historically used the strict scrutiny test when evaluating cases related to discrimination against African Americans, as this group has been deemed a protected class under the U.S. Constitution. This test requires the government to show a compelling interest in the discrimination and that the discrimination is narrowly tailored to achieve that interest, making it much more difficult to justify discriminatory practices.
If the Supreme Court heard a case about African Americans being denied the right to vote, the justices would likely use the strict scrutiny test to determine if the discrimination was justified. The strict scrutiny test is the highest level of scrutiny applied to cases involving constitutionally protected rights, such as voting. Under this test, the government must show that the law or policy in question serves a compelling government interest and is narrowly tailored to achieve that interest without unnecessarily burdening the protected group.
The rational basis test and the litmus test are not typically used in cases involving discrimination in voting rights. The rational basis test is a lower level of scrutiny that is applied when a law or policy does not involve a suspect classification or fundamental right. The litmus test is not a specific legal test but is often used to refer to a set of questions or criteria applied by politicians or interest groups to gauge a nominee's views on certain issues.
The Lemon test, on the other hand, is used to determine the constitutionality of laws or government actions that involve religion under the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. It is not directly applicable to cases involving the denial of voting rights based on race or other protected characteristics.