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Beginning to apply guarantees
Beginning in the 1920s, the United States Supreme Court began to apply the guarantees of the Bill of Rights to the states. -
Due Process Clause
The Court based its actions on the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which reads in part: "No State shall...deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." -
Supreme Court begins using the due process clause
In a long series of cases, starting in 1925, the Supreme Court gradually began using the due process clause to say that states could not abridge a right that the national government could not abridge. -
Freedom of the press
In a 1931 Supreme Court case, the Court ruled that the freedom of the press offered by the national Bill of Rights had to be offered by every state as well. -
Freedom of religion
In a 1934 case, the Supreme Court ruled that freedom of religion provided for in the First Amendment had to be provided by all states. -
Limiting State Action
Especially during the 1960s, the Supreme Court broadened its interpretations to limit state action in most areas in which national government action is limited. These areas include the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, the Fifth Amendment protection against compulsory self-incrimination, and the Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishments.
