Civil Liberties of Aliens

The extent to which the Constitution’s Bill of Rights and other political freedoms are enjoyed by noncitizens is a question that has existed since the founding of the United States.

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Arrest

The fact of an arrest and the definition of an arrest are of fundamental importance.

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Atheism

Although the first two clauses of the First Amendment concern the establishment and free exercise of ‘‘religion,’’ the amendment long has been understood to protect the liberty and equality of nonbelievers.

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Belief–Action Distinction in Free Exercise Clause History

One of the central issues in free exercise clause jurisprudence has been the question of whether the state is obliged to give individuals exemptions from government regulations that interfere with their free exercise of religion.

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Bible Reading in Public Schools, History of before and after Abington School District v. Schempp

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in America, there was homogeneity among Americans in that the majority were Protestant Christians, albeit of varied denominations.

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Adoption of Bill of Rights

The Constitution of 1787 did not contain a bill of rights, although it did have some protections for some civil liberties. The original Constitution prohibited ex post facto laws and bills of attainder, preserved the right of a jury trial in criminal cases, and banned religious tests for officeholding.

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Blackstone and Common-Law Prohibition on Prior Restraints

In the fourth volume of his famous Commentaries on the Laws of England, published in 1769, William Blackstone argued that freedom of the press under the common law was limited to a prohibition on prior restraints.

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Book Banning and Book Removals

In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury wrote about a world in which the responsibility of fire fighters was to burn books rather than to extinguish fires.

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Capital Punishment

Capital punishment is a punishment option of the federal government in more than two thirds of states in the United States.

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Capital Punishment: History and Politics

It will be useful to examine this topic by examining six eras of American history.

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Chase Court (1864–1873)

The Chase Court combined powerful rhetoric in favor of civil liberties with very little protection for civil liberties.

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