The United States Supreme Court protects individual rights primarily through its role of constitutional interpretation and judicial review. It ensures that laws and government actions comply with the Constitution, particularly the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment, which safeguard fundamental civil liberties such as freedom of speech, religion, due process, privacy, and equal protection under the law
. Key ways the Supreme Court protects individual rights include:
- Interpreting Fundamental Rights: The Court identifies and defines fundamental rights—those essential to liberty and justice—and applies rigorous standards like "strict scrutiny" to evaluate government restrictions on these rights. This means the government must show a compelling interest and that the law is narrowly tailored to achieve that interest without unnecessarily infringing on rights
- Incorporation Doctrine: Through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause, the Court has "incorporated" many protections of the Bill of Rights to apply against state governments, ensuring states cannot violate these fundamental rights
- Landmark Decisions: The Court has issued landmark rulings that expand and clarify individual rights, such as:
- Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which ended racial segregation in public schools, protecting equal educational rights
* _Tinker v. Des Moines_ (1969), affirming students' free speech rights in schools
* _Texas v. Johnson_ (1989), protecting symbolic speech like flag burning under the First Amendment
* _Mapp v. Ohio_ (1961), enforcing protections against unlawful searches and seizures in state courts
* _Griswold v. Connecticut_ (1965), recognizing a constitutional right to privacy, which laid the groundwork for reproductive rights
- Balancing Rights and Government Interests: The Court balances individual liberties against legitimate government interests, ensuring that restrictions on rights are justified and not arbitrary
- Judicial Review: The Court has the final authority to decide when a constitutional right is violated, thus acting as a check on legislative and executive actions that threaten individual freedoms
In summary, the Supreme Court protects individual rights by interpreting the Constitution to define the scope of these rights, applying legal standards to scrutinize government actions, incorporating federal protections against state infringement, and issuing landmark rulings that uphold and expand civil liberties. This judicial oversight maintains the balance between individual freedoms and public interests in American democracy.
