Through which amendment are most of the Bill of Rights protections applied to state governments?

• A. Federal government
• B. State governments
• C. International bodies
• D. Local municipalities

Answer: (B)

Incorporation via the Fourteenth Amendment binds state governments to most of the protections in the Bill of Rights. Originally, these rights limited only the federal government, but the courts found that many of them are fundamental to liberty and must also guard individuals against state and local action. Through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Supreme Court has selectively applied most Bill of Rights protections to state governments, so the state level becomes the one constrained by those guarantees. This is why the best answer points to state governments—the protections now reach beyond the federal government to the states, with a few notable exceptions where specific rights haven’t been fully incorporated.