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C
ONSTITUTIONAL
L
AW
O
UTLINE
Hofstra Law, Professor Ku, Spring 2009
The Bill of Rights & The Civil War Amendments ........................................................................................................3Constitutional Protection ...............................................................................................................................................3Theories of Incorporation ..........................................................................................................................................6Due Process & Individual Rights ...................................................................................................................................7Substantive Protection of Economic Interests ...........................................................................................................7Substantive Due Process: The Right of Privacy ........................................................................................................7II.Abortion ............................................................................................................................................................8III.Physician-Assisted Suicide .............................................................................................................................10IV.The Autonomy of Private Sexual Choices ......................................................................................................11Procedural Due Process in Non-Criminal Cases .....................................................................................................13Equal Protection ...........................................................................................................................................................15The Traditional Approach: Rational Basis ...............................................................................................................16Discrimination on the Basis of Race/Ethnicity ........................................................................................................18Discrimination Based on Gender .............................................................................................................................26Fundamental Rights .................................................................................................................................................29Religion ........................................................................................................................................................................30I.The Establishment Clause ................................................................................................................................30II.Aid to Religion ................................................................................................................................................30III.Official Acknowledgement .............................................................................................................................32IV.Free Exercise Clause ......................................................................................................................................33Free Expression ............................................................................................................................................................33II.Advocacy of Illegal Action ..............................................................................................................................34III.Libel ...............................................................................................................................................................35IV.Fighting Words, Hostile Audiences, Offensive Words and Hate Speech ........................................................36V.Obscenity .........................................................................................................................................................37
1
 
2
 
T
HE
B
ILL
 
OF
R 
IGHTS
& T
HE
C
IVIL
W
AR 
A
MENDMENTS
 
I.The Bill of Rights
A.PURPOSEi.To guarantee and codify widely accepted rightsii.Conceived of as protections against the federal governmentiii.For the “People”I
– Freedom of religion & free speech/press; right to peaceably assemble
II
 – Right to bear arms
III
– No quartering of soldier during peacetime
IV
– No unreasonable search & seizures; warrant requirement
V
–  No deprivation of life, liberty, property w/o due process; double jeopardy; the “5
th
”
VI
– confrontation clause (confront your accuser); trial by jury in criminal; right to speedy & public trial
VII
– Right to trial by jury in civil proceeding (>$20 in controversy)
VIII
– no cruel & unusual punishment
IX
– enumerated right of the Constitution doesn’t exclude any implied rights
X
– powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the statesII.
Civil War Amendments
A.PURPOSEi.To end slavery and guarantee rights of freedmenii.Conceived of as protections against state governments, and private oppressioniii.Empowers CongressXIII
- No slavery
XIV
-Equal Protection Clause
XV
– Right to vote(can’t be denied right b/c of race, color or b/c you were a slave before)
C
ONSTITUTIONAL
P
ROTECTION
W
HO
 
IS
P
ROTECTED
?
I.The Scope of Constitutional Rights
A.
 Reid v. Covert 
– Δ (US citizen) kills her husband, who is in the military, abroad. At the time of theoffense, she was in England, and there was a treaty btwn U.S. & UK which permitted US militarycourts to exercise exclusive jurisdiction over offenses committed in UK by US servicemen or their dependents. Δ tried by US military & given the death sentence. Δ challenges this, claiming that shewas entitled to constitutional protection (5
th
& 6
th
Amendments) which she did not get.i.Ct held that the Constitution always trumps treaties, so Δ entitled to her constitutional rights.
Theconstitution limits US actions against citizens abroad.
a.
Doctrine of enumerated powers
 
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