The Politics of Civil Rights and Liberties

Catalog description

An examination of civil rights and liberties policies in the United States, with an emphasis on the development of these policies over the course of American political history. Explores how the Supreme Court’s contribution to this development is connected with the broader historical and political context in which it sits. The Court does not play an exclusive role in this process. Expanding, contracting, or otherwise altering the meaning of a right or a liberty involves a range of political actors in a variety of venues. Coverage includes free speech, religious freedom, political participation, privacy, criminal procedures and the rights of minority groups and women.