When speaking of rights, note that the word “right” “means many things, and has long meant many things.” A statement such as “Governments do not have rights, only individuals have rights” might cohere and be worth discussion as an claim of political philosophy, but does not accurately track the usage of the word “rights” in the Anglo-American legal system, now or in the past. [Eugene Volokh, post series one, two, three, four]

Filed under: constitutional law