Which amendment contains the due process clause that prohibits denying life, liberty, or property without due process?

• A. 14th Amendment
• B. 5th Amendment
• C. 4th Amendment
• D. 6th Amendment

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is due process: the government must follow fair procedures before depriving someone of life, liberty, or property. The text that does this for the federal level is found in the Fifth Amendment, which states that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. This sets up the requirement that the government provide fair notice and a hearing before taking away fundamental rights. While the Fourteenth Amendment also carries a due process clause, extending similar protections to the states, the classic reference to due process preventing deprivation of life, liberty, or property without fair procedures is the Fifth Amendment. The other amendments don’t establish a broad due process requirement: the Fourth covers searches and seizures, and the Sixth covers trial rights, leaving the Fifth as the specific due process protection in question.