Question

Read the excerpt from the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. [Nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.] This clause ensures that:

a) Anyone can enforce the law as long as they are citizens.
b) All states follow similar rules and legal processes.
c) Any state can deprive its citizens of due process.
d) All non-citizens are not covered by due process.

Answer 1

The due process clause from the Fourteenth Amendment ensures that no state can deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, meaning option (b) All states follow similar rules and legal processes is the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

The excerpt from the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution discusses the due process clause, which states that no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. This clause is foundational to the protection of civil liberties and the assurance that states cannot arbitrarily or without proper legal procedure restrict an individual's basic rights.

The correct option in relation to the query is that the clause ensures all states follow similar rules and legal processes, hence (b) All states follow similar rules and legal processes is the correct answer.

In the case of Sherbert v. Verner, for instance, the Supreme Court ruled that the states could not deny unemployment benefits to an individual for religious reasons, thereby illustrating how the due process clause is employed to protect individual rights against state actions.