Freedom
(Reproduced in part from last year's July 4th post)
On the Fourth of July, we need to stop and consider the reasons why the Founding Fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence, and why we fought a bloody war to gain our independence from England. Most of the reasons are enshrined in our Constitution and its amendments, and they are central to the practice of criminal defense. Our freedoms that we fought for in 1776 we must continue to exercise and to fight for today, lest we lose them. They are:
The right to trial by a jury of our peers, the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures by government agents, and the right to have the government prove their case against us beyond any reasonable doubt before we can be found guilty of a criminal act and our personal freedom forfeited.
The right to speak freely, to criticize our government, to associate with whomever we want, to practice the religion of our choice, the right to bear arms (in part to remind our government of how we gained these freedoms in 1776), the right to due process of law, the right to a speedy trial when we are accused of a crime, the right to confront the witnesses against us, and the right to be free from cruel or unusual punishments.
The right to assistance of counsel. Happy Fourth of July.
Please take a moment to read The Declaration of Independence and the Amendments to the Constitution.
