2008 test · Question 12 of 100
What is the "rule of law"?
Official USCIS answers
- Everyone must follow the law.
- Leaders must obey the law.
- Government must obey the law.
- No one is above the law.
Why this is the answer
The rule of law means that the law applies to everyone equally, including leaders and the government. No person or institution is exempt from following the law.
💡 Memory tip: Remember: 'rule of law' = law rules everyone, no exceptions.
This is the 2008 test, for N-400s filed before October 20, 2025. Filed on or after that date? Use the 2025 test.
More from Principles of American Democracy
- 1. What is the supreme law of the land?
- 2. What does the Constitution do?
- 3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
- 4. What is an amendment?
- 5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
- 6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
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Source: USCIS, Civics (History and Government) Questions for the Naturalization Test (rev. 01/19).