right to petition

(noun)

The right of citizens of the United States to freely petition the government to address particular grievances or for any reason.

Related Terms

Examples of right to petition in the following topics:

  • The Constitutional Right to Petition the Government

    • In the United States, the right to petition is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the national Constitution.
    • Historically, the right can be traced back to English documents such as Magna Carta, which, by its acceptance by the monarchy, implicitly affirmed the right, and the later Bill of Rights 1689, which explicitly declared the "right of the subjects to petition the king. "
    • The right to petition includes under its umbrella the right to sue the government, and the right of individuals, groups and possibly corporations to lobby the government.
    • The right to petition is protected by the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights.
    • Discuss the how the right to petition the government is related to political freedom and the U.S.

  • Freedom of Assembly and Petition

    • The First Amendment establishes the right to assembly and the right to petition the government.
    • A simplified definition of the right to petition is: the right to present requests to the government without punishment or reprisal.
    • In the past, Congress has directly limited the right to petition.
    • The right of assembly was originally distinguished from the right to petition.
    • Recognize the role of the Right to Petition clause in the Constitution.

  • The Constitutional Right to Petition the Government

    • The Supreme Court has ruled that petitioning the government by way of lobbying is protected by the Constitution as free speech.
    • The ability of individuals, groups, and corporations to lobby the government is protected by the right to petition in the First Amendment.
    • Corporations have been considered in some court decisions to have many of the same rights as citizens, including their right to lobby officials for what they want.
    • It contrasted it with indirect lobbying: efforts to influence Congress indirectly by trying to change public opinion.
    • Lobbying, properly defined, is subject to control by Congress, . . .

  • The Rights of the Accused

    • The rights of the accused include the right to a fair trial; due process; and the right to privacy.
    • The rights of the accused, include the right to a fair trial; due process; the right to seek redress or a legal remedy; and rights of participation in civil society and politics such as freedom of association, the right to assemble, the right to petition, the right of self-defense, and the right to vote.
    • First-generation rights include, among other things, freedom of speech, the right to a fair trial, freedom of religion and voting rights.
    • The theory of three generations of human rights considers this group of rights to be "first-generation rights", and the theory of negative and positive rights considers them to be generally negative rights.
    • Civil rights are considered to be natural rights.

  • The First Amendment

    • The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights.
    • Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
    • State the restrictions imposed upon the federal government and the rights accorded individuals by the 1st Amendment

  • The First Amendment

    • The First Amendment to the US Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights, and protects core American civil liberties.
    • The amendment prohibits the making of any law pertaining to an establishment of a federal or state religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press , interfering with the right to peaceably assemble, or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances .
    • The text of the First Amendment reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. "
    • The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees Americans the right to a free press.
    • Compare and contrast civil rights with civil liberties with respect to the First Amendment

  • The Second Amendment

    • The Second Amendment gives the right to bear arms, and can arguably apply to individuals or state militias depending on interpretation.
    • The Second Amendment to the US constitution was adopted in 1791 as part of the US Bill of Rights .
    • The right to bear arms was seen as a check against tyranny, both domestic and foreign, and was designed to help states easily raise organized militias.
    • The amendment reads "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. " In some interpretations of the bill the right to bear arms is a collective right, exclusively or primarily given to states to arm a militia.
    • The First Amendment rights of free speech, freedom of association, and freedom of petition protect lobbying, including grassroots lobbying.

  • Ratification of the Constitution

    • In order for all states to ratify, a compromise over a bill of rights had to be made.
    • The Bill of Rights was enacted on December 15, 1791.
    • Amendment 1: Establishes freedom of religion, speech, the press, assembly, and petition.
    • Amendment 6: Establishes rights to a fair and speedy public trial, to a notice of accusations, to confront the accuser, to subpoenas, and to counsel.
    • Amendment 7: Provides for the right to trial by jury in civil cases.

  • The Supreme Court

    • Cases that come to the Supreme Court as appeals begin as a writ of certiorari, which is a petition to the Supreme Court to review the case.
    • To manage the high volume of cert petitions received by the Court each year, the Court employs an internal case management tool known as the "cert pool. " Each year, the Supreme Court receives thousands of petitions for certiorari; in 2001 the number stood at approximately 7,500, and had risen to 8,241 by October Term 2007.
    • The Court will ultimately grant approximately 80 to 100 of these petitions, in accordance with the rule of four.
    • Top row (left to right): Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Stephen G.
    • Bottom row (left to right): Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, Chief Justice John G.

  • Indirect Techniques

    • Grassroots lobbying asks the public to contact legislators concerning the issue at hand, as opposed to going to the legislators directly.
    • Grassroots lobbying is an approach that separates itself from direct lobbying through the act of asking the general public to contact legislators and government officials concerning the issue at hand, as opposed to conveying the message to the legislators directly.
    • Grassroots lobbying oftentimes implement the use of media, ranging from television to print, in order to expand their outreach.
    • Lobbying is protected by the First Amendment rights of speech, association, and petition .
    • The First Amendment rights of free speech, freedom of association, and freedom of petition protect lobbying, including grassroots lobbying.