Bill of rights

A bill of rights is a statement of certain rights that citizens and/or residents of a free and democratic society have (or ought to have) under the laws of that society.

Related Topics:
Right - Citizen - Resident - Democratic - Society

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In some jurisdictions, the bill of rights is entrenched in the constitution or Basic Law of that nation-state. When embedded in the constitution, it can prescribe the limits of power the government has to intervene in the lives of its citizens. Usually such entrenched bills of rights have codicils that define the extent of limitation of rights in times of war or civil unrest.

Related Topics:
Jurisdiction - Constitution - Basic Law - Government - War

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In other jurisdictions, the definition of rights may be statutory. (In other words, it may be repealed just like any other law and does not necessarily hold greater weight than other laws). Not all jurisdictions enforce the protection of the rights articulated in their bill of rights.

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A 'bill of rights' may also be an aspirational statement of the rights that citizens ought to have even though the defining body does not have the ability to enforce the protection of those rights. The United Nations's (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights is currently an example, though this may be perceived as a controversial example depending on one's opinion of the UN's current ability to effectively enforce its decision.

Related Topics:
United Nations - Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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Infringement of rights protected by a bill of rights (such as by repeal of statutory protections or by statutory infringement of constitutionally protected rights) may cause civil unrest, civil disobedience or even revolution. A common concern of libertarians is the gradual erosion of rights, especially those articulated in bills of rights. This concern is heightened during times of war or crises when certain rights may be perceived by some as a luxury compared to security concerns.

Related Topics:
Civil disobedience - Revolution - Libertarians

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