The development of a specific political phenomenon
Explain the development of a specific political phenomenon of your own choosing Americans today consider a civil liberty. Using specific case law as evidence, explain how this liberty was first recognized, how it became salient, and how it either expanded or contracted over the course of its expression.
Sample Answer
One specific political phenomenon that Americans today consider a civil liberty is the right to privacy. This right is not explicitly mentioned in the United States Constitution, but it has been developed by the Supreme Court over the course of many years.
The first case in which the Supreme Court recognized a right to privacy was Griswold v. Connecticut (1965). In this case, the Court struck down a Connecticut law that prohibited married couples from using contraception. The Court held that the law violated the right to privacy, which it described as a “right to be let alone” and a “zone of privacy” within which married couples could make their own decisions about their reproductive lives.