Legal Rights

For people to feel safe enough to enjoy the rights granted by the Bill of Rights, the government must be powerful enough to protect the country and the people in it. On the other hand, if a government has unlimited power to inspire fear and use force, any bill of rights could easily become meaningless.

The rights guaranteed in the Fourth through Eighth Amendments include the right not to have one's person or property searched or arrested without good legal cause, the right not to confess or be a witness against oneself, the right to be treated fairly, the right to trial by jury, the right to a speedy and public trial, the right to call and question witnesses, and the right against cruel and unusual punishments. In decisions regarding these amendments, the U.S. Supreme Court has had to balance two main concerns—allowing the government sufficient power to maintain security and limiting the government's power to protect people from its abuse.

Topics include:• The basis for the American right of trial by a jury of one's peers

• The Supreme Court decision that resulted in the Miranda warnings and the current challenges to them

• The war on terrorism's effect on legal rights

• and more.