If you don’t see it on the list, our founders did not intend it to be there. They wanted the people to have all the powers not given to the states or the central government.
Tag: Constitutional Rights
The Seventh and Eighth Amendments to the US Constitution
Fines are viewed by the court as punishment for a misdeed and should be in accordance with the scope of the violation; a minor offense should not cause large fines that cripple the person charged. This is called proportionality. Courts must take into account the nature of the offense, the scope of the damage caused by the offense, and the character of the offender.
The Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution
Interpretation of the law develops as judges decide cases and write opinions explaining their reasoning. Gradually the right to obtain counsel on your own became the right to have it provided if you could not afford it. The complexity of the law and the judicial system make it so difficult to navigate that a person not specifically trained in legal matters is likely to fail to understand subtle points, and this could lead to an inadequate defense for a person who might be innocent of the stated charges.