A thorough introduction to privacy law, covering landmark cases, important themes, historical curiosities, and enduring controversies. The Right to Privacy: Rights and Liberties under the Law measures the impact of what Louis Brandeis called, "The most comprehensive of rights and the most valued by civilized man." As the book shows, an individual's right to privacy is not a written-in-stone concept, but one that emerged from the "shadows" of a number of amendments and court decisions. The book traces that concept to its philosophical and common law roots, then looks at how privacy rights have been interpreted, expanded, and sometimes curtailed throughout the 20th century. It concludes with a review of privacy rights today, examining landmark recent cases involving euthanasia, polygamy, reproductive rights for inmates, same-sex unions, adoption by gays and lesbians, the right to withhold personal information, and more. A source materials section consisting of critical primary documents, court decisions, statutory provisions, etc., reprinted in excerpted form and preceded by brief headnotes explaining the significance and background of the reproduced material A background reference section-alphabetically arranged entries, combining scholarship with insight, on important people, laws, events, legal issues, constitutional issues, judicial decisions, statutes, places, institutions, offices, organizations, terms, and concepts that are central to understanding the right to privacy

A timely, historical look at Fourth Amendment jurisprudence, covering more than two centuries of search-and-seizure law, from landmark judicial decisions to enduring controversies. Unreasonable Searches and Seizures: Rights and Liberties under the Law provides a comprehensive exploration of the development of the Fourth Amendment from the late 18th century to the present. The work clearly explains complex legal questions and pivotal judicial decisions, illustrating the controversial nature of Fourth Amendment issues and differentiating between reasonable and unreasonable searches and seizures. Presenting a wealth of cases and examples, the authors analyze important developments, such as the impact of the Supreme Court's decision in Weeks v. United States (prohibiting federal courts from admitting evidence obtained in violation of the Amendment), the expansion of Fourth Amendment protections in the 1960s, the apparent weakening of rights since the early 1970s, and the contraction of the exclusionary rule in response to the war on drugs and the war on terror. A-Z listing of key individuals, historical events, and landmark court cases, including Boyd v. United States, the chief justiceship of Earl Warren, the Rehnquist Court, the war on drugs, and the war on terrorism Excerpts from critical primary documents, court decisions, and statutory provisions