Which amendment extends the protection of the US Constitution to the state level?

Which amendment extends the protection of the US Constitution to the state level?

• A. First
• B. Fourth
• C. Fourteenth
• D. Eighth

Answer: (C)

Incorporation through the Fourteenth Amendment binds state governments to many of the protections in the Bill of Rights. The due process clause prohibits states from depriving people of life, liberty, or property without fair procedures, and over time the Supreme Court has used this clause to apply federal rights to state and local governments. That mechanism—incorporation—is what extends constitutional protections to the states, making this amendment the one that reaches state level. The other amendments establish important rights, but their applicability to the states comes through the Fourteenth Amendment’s incorporation rather than by themselves.

Incorporation through the Fourteenth Amendment binds state governments to many of the protections in the Bill of Rights. The due process clause prohibits states from depriving people of life, liberty, or property without fair procedures, and over time the Supreme Court has used this clause to apply federal rights to state and local governments. That mechanism—incorporation—is what extends constitutional protections to the states, making this amendment the one that reaches state level. The other amendments establish important rights, but their applicability to the states comes through the Fourteenth Amendment’s incorporation rather than by themselves.