Rights and their limits · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Where your rights meet mine

Civics & Economics · Government · ages 14-16
Name ______________________   Date ____________
  1. Which action fulfills a state's duty under a fair-trial right?

    • Guaranteeing acquittal
    • Requiring newspapers to praise the defendant
    • Providing an impartial criminal trial
  2. Which aim could support considering a nighttime loudspeaker limit near a hospital?

    • Protecting officials from criticism
    • Protecting patients from disruptive nighttime noise
    • Rewarding marchers who publicly support the government's policies
  3. The First Amendment generally requires a private website to publish every message submitted to it.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. How should you begin assessing a proposed restriction when two protected interests conflict?

    • Describe both interests and investigate the rule
    • Accept any claimed safety risk as sufficient to prohibit expression
    • Choose whichever side has more supporters without examining its reasons
  5. A newspaper wants to publish a named student's private medical record. The student wants it kept private. Which interests conflict?

    • School funding and staffing
    • Press freedom and personal privacy
    • Election rules and party roles
  6. U.S. officials ban a peaceful public rally only because one banner rudely criticizes them. What is missing?

    • A requirement to praise officials
    • A promise to support official policy
    • A lawful reason beyond disliking criticism
  7. A content-neutral U.S. time, place or manner rule for speech in a public park must always be the least restrictive option imaginable to be lawful.

    Circle one:   True   False

  8. For this policy exercise, a march will use loudspeakers beside a hospital at midnight. Which option best protects expression and patients' rest?

    • Limit speaker volume near the ward at night
    • Ban every future protest organized by the same group
    • Allow any noise level because expression can never be limited
LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-mt_FLOs4KxTlj-s1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Where your rights meet mine W1-mt_FLOs4KxTlj-s1

  1. Providing an impartial criminal trial · The right requires a fair process. It does not guarantee acquittal or favorable news coverage.
  2. Protecting patients from disruptive nighttime noise · Protecting patients from noise addresses the activity's effects. That aim supports considering a limit, but does not prove that any proposed rule is lawful.
  3. False · The First Amendment limits government interference. It does not generally compel a private website to publish every submission.
  4. Describe both interests and investigate the rule · Describe the competing interests, examine evidence and compare options. A safety claim or a count of supporters alone does not settle the issue.
  5. Press freedom and personal privacy · The newspaper's interest in publishing the record conflicts with the student's interest in keeping it private. Identifying those interests does not determine the legal outcome.
  6. A lawful reason beyond disliking criticism · Officials cannot ban a peaceful rally just because they dislike its criticism. The stated reason does not justify this ban.
  7. False · The stated test requires narrow tailoring to a significant government interest and ample other ways to communicate. It does not require the least restrictive imaginable option.
  8. Limit speaker volume near the ward at night · The targeted volume limit addresses nighttime noise while leaving room for the march. The other options suppress unrelated events or ignore patients' rest.
Worksheet · LightMySky