Which constitutional amendment extends select protections to citizens from state governments as well as federal?

• A. The 14th Amendment.
• B. The 5th Amendment.
• C. The 1st Amendment.
• D. The 8th Amendment.

Answer: (A)

Incorporation is the central idea here. The Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause has been used by courts to apply many protections from the Bill of Rights to actions by state governments as well as the federal government. This process—selective incorporation—ensures that state governments respect fundamental rights just as the federal government must. That makes the Fourteenth Amendment the best answer.

The Fifth Amendment protects rights against the federal government, not the states, so it by itself doesn’t extend protections to state governments. The First and Eighth Amendments protect basic freedoms as well, but their application to states comes through the same incorporation framework anchored in the Fourteenth Amendment.