Every human being in the United States has the right to remain silent. The right to remain silent, also known as your "Miranda Rights," refers to your ability to refrain from speaking, and thereby refrain from unintentionally incriminating yourself when you're...
Numerous federal laws offer different civil rights to the American public. Some of these laws protect individuals with disabilities from suffering from discriminatory practices, and they also help these individuals have equal access to various public buildings and...
The terms civil rights and civil liberties are often used interchangeably; however, they are two very different concepts. For example, civil rights are granted to individuals via the federal government, through case law and various civil rights laws. Civil liberties...
Police have the power and ability to enforce the law. However, they cannot use excessive force when carrying out their duties. Under the United States Constitution, police in New York and elsewhere are limited in their ability to exert force depending on the situation...
The first civil rights bill -- the Civil Rights Bill of 1866 -- became law on April 9, 1966, when the House of Representatives overrode the veto of President Andrew Johnson. According to the language of the bill, "all persons born in the United States" were "declared...
Every person accused of a crime will remain innocent until -- and only if -- he or she is proved to be guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court. However, when police arrest someone for allegedly committing a crime, the individual will temporarily lose the right to...
The Fourth Amendment is all about search and seizure and personal privacy as it applies to criminal law. If a law enforcement officer violates the Fourth Amendment in order to obtain evidence that will be used against you in criminal court, for example, this evidence...
Racial profiling by police in New York and throughout the United States is a serious problem. Statistics point to the fact that law enforcement officials frequently select who they will pull over or stop based on race, and if you are a member of certain racial or...
New York City police officers perform the valuable public service of keeping us safe from criminal elements. However, there are times when police become overzealous in their application of the law, in addition to becoming overly violent. There are times when violent...
As America's political climate grows more contentious, people of all political affiliations are taking to the streets to exercise their constitutional rights to free speech and to petition the government for a redress of grievances by assembling in public, usually...