Students learn about the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and discover how just 16 words in the U.S. Constitution inaugurated a debate that continues to this day. The author objectively follows the debate in relation to prayer in public schools, government support for religious schools, the right to speak and raise money for religious causes, when religion conflicts with the law, and where this issue stands today.

What sort of communicative activities are actually covered and specifically protected by the Constitution? What is a public forum? What is the clear and present danger test for political free speech? How are the courts grappling with a definition for obscenity? What are the rights of the press? What is commercial speech? When does the right to privacy overrule the right to free press? Are picket lines the same as demonstrations? These are just a few of the questions students will think about as they study how the Supreme Court has responded to these issues over the past century.

Of all amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the Fourth has been called the most ambiguous, and it is from that amendment that search and seizure laws are primarily drawn. Students will learn about the legal issues and cases argued concerning protection of property and privacy, searching homes and businesses, searching people in public places, searching automobiles and baggage, and wiretapping. The Exclusionary Rule and the right to privacy beyond search and seizure are specifically examined in detail.