Civil Rights and Liberties: Provocative Questions and Evolving Answers

by Harold J Sullivan

Overview

For undergraduate courses in Constitutional Law, Civil Rights and Liberties, Introduction to American Government, Introduction to Law and Legal Process, and Judicial Process and Politics. Examining contemporary and perennial constitutional issues in civil liberties and rights, this text engages students in an exploration of how and why U.S. Supreme Court Justices have interpreted the provisions of the U.S. Constitution relating to freedom of expression and religion, and equal protection and privacy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138473959
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/25/2017
Edition description:	New
Pages:	220
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Harold J. Sullivan is Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Department of Political Science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, USA.

Read an Excerpt

Since the first edition of this book appeared in the Fall of 2000, there have been significant developments in constitutional law concerning civil rights and liberties. In this second edition I continue to hope to stimulate readers into thinking critically about both new and continuing issues in the civil rights/civil liberties field.

In order to stimulate such thinking; each section of this book is introduced with a question. The questions are followed by responses which present the variety of "answers" justices of the United States Supreme Court have given to such questions in actual cases which have come before the Court. The questions are phrased simply and directly, and each answer is an essay designed to make constitutional interpretation accessible to readers even if they have no background in constitutional law: I expect that when such readers see many of the questions, they will think to themselves: "I've always wondered about that." When they read the "answers," they will be exposed to various constitutional tests and doctrines. I hope as well that when they read the questions and the variety of answers to them, they will be stimulated to explore in greater detail the U.S. Supreme Court decisions from which these answers were derived.

The subtitle of this book refers to "provocative questions/evolving answers." The answers provided by the United States Supreme Court justices have in fact been constantly evolving as the justices have sought to apply the principles of the Constitution to changing circumstances and new questions, some of which could not have been anticipated by the authors of the Constitution. Indeed some of the answers concerning questionsrelating to cross burning and racial intimidation, diversity and affirmative action, sexual privacy, pornography over the Internet, and government support for religious institutions, to name a few, have "evolved" significantly since the publication of the first edition of this book. This second edition, then, preserves what is still relevant from the first edition while incorporating more recent developments in constitutional law.

Having discussed both traditional and new issues throughout, in the end I hope to provoke readers into thinking about some questions that may become increasingly important in the future. These are issues with which the U.S. Supreme Court has only begun to grapple. I hope my discussion of them will stimulate readers to help evolve some new solutions on their own.

Table of Contents

Preface. 1. Introduction: Judicial Defense of Civil Liberties and Civil Rights. 2. The First Amendment and Freedom of Expression. 3. Freedom of Religion. 4. Equality Under the Constitution. 5. Privacy and Individual Autonomy. 6. Contemporary Issues of Equality and Freedom. 7. Conclusion: What Is the Future of Constitutional Rights and Civil Liberties in America? Appendix: The Constitution of the United States. Index.