NO SINGLE DOCUMENT could possibly specify all the circumstances in which individual freedom might need protection from governmental action. The Constitution (including the Bill of Rights) deals in broad categories, which courts apply to particular conflicts and claims. Among the leading liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights are freedom of speech and assembly, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion, including both a right to exercise one's religion freely and a ban on any governmental "establishment" of religion. Also guaranteed are the rights of individuals to be secure against "unreasonable searches and seizures" and to enjoy "due process of law" before being deprived of "life, liberty, or property."

The freedoms written down in the Bill of Rights do not necessarily mark the full extent of Americans' liberties. Other rights, not mentioned in the Constitution or Bill...