Rights outlined in the Bill of Rights or the Equal Protection clause of the 14th amendment are known as which term?

• A. Constitutional/Federally Protected Rights
• B. Civil Liberties
• C. Statutory Rights
• D. Procedural Rights

Answer: (A)

Rights that come from the Constitution and its amendments are constitutional protections, or federally protected rights. The Bill of Rights outlines fundamental freedoms, and the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause extends those protections to actions by state governments as well. This makes them constitutional rights because their authority and limits come from the Constitution itself, not from statutes or everyday procedures.

This is why the term constitutional/federally protected rights fits best: it highlights both their source (the Constitution) and the level of protection (federal). While civil liberties is a closely related concept describing fundamental freedoms, the phrasing here emphasizes the constitutional basis. Statutory rights are created by laws passed by legislatures, not by the Constitution, and procedural rights concern how processes operate rather than the substantive freedoms themselves.