HOW WELL DOES THE US CONSTITUTION PROTECT CIVIL LIBERTIES AND RIGHTS OF US CITIZENS

Question 1

Arguments that the constitution protects rights well

Answer 1

Rights are entrenched

Rights include: Freedom of expression, right to fair trial, equal protection under law

Supreme court often increases rights - Brown V Topeka 1954

Having rights and liberties in a single document means Americans have a clear idea

Question 2

Arguments that the constitution protects rights poorly

Answer 2

Some rights protected more than others - gun rights entrench, none for women

Constitution is hard to change and modernise

Supreme court can change its opinions, so not entrenched and made by an unelected body

Most of the constitution outlines the working of government not the individual rights