This newly revised and expanded edition of The Bill of Rights in Modern America captures the contentious national debate about the nature and extent of our individual rights. Free speech, the separation of church and state, public safety and gun control, property rights, the rights of criminals and victims, the limits of law enforcement, the death penalty, affirmative action, the right to privacy, abortion, states' rights -- the Bill of Rights has been evoked as the legal basis for every one of these issues. Twelve distinguished legal scholars discuss the history of and the current debates on these and other important rights issues in a book that is certain to stimulate thoughtful discussion among all citizens.

Designed for high school students and motivated lay readers, this book is an introduction to the rights held by American citizens under the U.S. Constitution as explored through a series of historical case studies. Each chapter uses dramatic narrative to illustrate a right in action. Most examples use U.S. Supreme Court cases to focus on a time when the right in question received its modern interpretation. Each chapter discusses how the right applies today and how courts and other interpreters seek to balance this right with important societal concerns, such as the need for order and public safety. Beginning with a 20-page chapter on how we arrived at our modern concept of rights, the major interpretive thread is the continual struggle to define limits on the power of the state. Introducing several key themes: our understanding of rights have emerged from history (experience); our definition and interpretation of rights are always evolving; concepts of rights are always under contention; and various actors-legislatures, executives, and courts-compete to be the final interpreter of our rights. American constitutional rights generally fall into one of three groups-rights of democracy, that is, rights required for American democracy to work effectively; rights of the accused, or due process rights that assure a fair trial for individuals accused of crimes; and other rights of persons, including the right to privacy. A fourth category of rights are not constitutional per se, but often we conceive of them as such even though often they are statutory rights, such as the right to education.

Product Description: Long regarded as a center for middle-American values, Indiana is also a cultural crossroads that has produced a rich and complex legal and constitutional heritage. The History of Indiana Law traces this history through a series of expert articles by identifying the themes that mark the state’s legal development and establish its place within the broader context of the Midwest and nation...read more

Product Description: Voices of Faith reveals how religious faith can motivate people to work for the betterment of their communities. These voices from inner-city Indianapolis neighborhoods are diverse in terms of race, age, socio-economic background, and religious denomination. (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: The idea of due process - the following of fair and regular procedures in actions against an individual - is central to the Anglo-American concept of liberty and justice. The Bill of Rights devotes more attention to the rights attendant upon a fair criminal process than it does to any other group of rights...read more