The Bill of Rights has come to apply to the states through the interpretation of

• A. The Tenth Amendment
• B. The Fourteenth Amendment
• C. The commerce clause
• D. Article III

Answer: (B)

Rights in the Bill of Rights were initially aimed at limiting the federal government. The way they have come to bind state governments is through the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause. Over time, the Supreme Court developed the incorporation doctrine, applying most of those federal protections to the states on a case-by-case basis. This selective incorporation usefully explains how your state governments are expected to honor fundamental liberties like free speech, search and seizure protections, and the right to counsel. The other options don’t fit because they point to mechanisms or powers that aren’t the vehicle for bringing the Bill of Rights to state governments: the Tenth Amendment deals with reserved state powers, the commerce clause concerns Congress’s reach over the economy, and Article III covers the judiciary’s role rather than a method for applying rights to the states.