3 ms·
It's not just income, it's speech and association (which are capitalized words in the US Constitution).
by a3n 10y ago
It's not just income, it's speech and association (which are capitalized words in the US Constitution).
- schoen 10y ago"Association" doesn't appear in the Constitution at all. "Speech" appears twice, but is only capitalized when referring to legislators' speeches: "and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place" "or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press"
- Spivak 10y agoUnfortunately, it's no longer possible to simply read the constitution to fully understand the rights afforded to an individual. The US Supreme Court has long upheld that a person has more fundamental rights than are explicitly enumerated in The Constitution. Technically speaking, persons always had a freedom of association, but the court made it explicit during N.A.A.C.P. v. ALABAMA [1]. [1] http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/357/449.html http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/357/449.html
- throwaway_xx9 10y agoIt's well worth reading the above court case. (In 1958, the State of Alabama banned the NAACP and tried to damage its finances and power by demanding its membership list. The Supreme Court saw through their "fig leaves" and overturned that.)
- a3n 10y agoPoetic license. I could have more accurately said that they're specifically protected rights.