Application: Fundamental Rights

In the United States, there are exceptional rights called fundamental rights under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. The Supreme Court has held through due process and equal protection that to restrict those fundamental rights, the government must have a "compelling governmental interest." Some fundamental rights, like the right to free speech, are listed in the Bill of Rights, but others are not expressly written in the Constitution. Rather, they have been interpreted through constitutional construction, which you learned about in Week 1. Those rights include the right to privacy, marriage, procreation, and interstate travel. A law restricting these rights must be narrowly tailored and will be evaluated by the Supreme Court with strict scrutiny. It is an issue of substantive due process if the law denies a fundamental right without adequate justification.

To prepare for this assignment:

• Review Chapter 1, 1.15 and 1.16, of your course text, Constitutional Law, and the article, "Due Process." Reflect on the purpose of the Due Process Clause.

• Review the article, "Who is 'Due' Process?" to learn about how administrators of human services can protect the right for individuals to obtain services through due process.

• Select a fundamental right. Then, think about how the fundamental right you selected is rooted in the Due Process Clause in the Constitution.

• Identify and explain the fundamental right you selected.

• Explain how the fundamental right you selected is rooted in the Due Process Clause in the Constitution. Be specific and reference this week's Learning Resources.

Support your work with specific citations from the Learning Resources. You are allowed to draw from additional sources to support your argument, but you must cite using APA standards. All quoted material must be identified, cited, and referenced per APA standards.