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What is the bill of rights and how does it seek to protect citizens.
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What is the bill of rights and how does it seek to protect citizens.
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What is the bill of rights and how does it seek to protect citizens?The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments of the constitution, they set out specific
rights of American citizens in order to ensure that those rights are not infringed. It is argued
the bill of rights was modelled on the Magna Carta written in England in 1215.
The Bill of Rights protects citizens because it gives them the right to free speech and
religion, the right to assemble, and the right to petition the government. For example the
national socialist party of America wanted to do something about residents in the village of
Skokie for the use of the swastika. The Supreme Court ruled that the use of swastika is a
symbolic form of free speech entitled to constitutional protection.
It also sets out the rules for due process of law, to ensure that citizens are not tried for the
same crime twice, punished unreasonably for crimes, or forced to incriminate themselves.
For example Leandro Andrade upheld a 50 years to life sentence with the possibility of
parole imposed under California’s 3 strikes law when he was convicted of shoplifting
videotapes worth a total of about $150. The Court ruled that because no "clearly
established" law held that a three-strikes sentence was cruel and unusual punishment, the
50-years-to-life sentence imposed in this case was not cruel and unusual punishment.
In addition, it protected citizens from unreasonable search and seizure, and restricted
military takeover of private homes, a serious issue during the Revolution. For example
Rodney J. Grant was arrested by Tuscany, Arizona police and charged with driving on a
suspended drivers licence. Once the police had arrested Gant then randomly searched his
car, finding a weapon and a bag of cocaine and was charged for possession.
The Bill of Rights also specified that civilian and military justice would use different codes,
and that powers not delegated to the Federal government belonged to the states, or the
people.
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