It is a fair summary of constitutional history that the landmarks of our liberties have often been forged in cases involving not very nice people." -Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter
Protection of civil liberties and civil rights is perhaps the most fundamental political value in American society. And yet, as former Justice Frankfurter explained in the quote above, the people who test liberties and rights in our courts are not always ideal citizens. Consider some of these examples:
A pick ax murderer on death row who found God and asked for clemency
A publisher of magazines, books, and photos convicted for sending obscene materials through the United States mail
A convict whose electrocution was botched when 2,000 volts of electricity rushed into his body, causing flames to leap from his head
A university student criminally charged for writing and publishing on the internet about torturing and murdering women
Each of these people made sensational headline news as the center of one of many national civil liberties disputes in the late 20th century. They became involved in the legal process because of behavior that violated a law, and almost certainly, none of them intended to become famous. More important than the headlines they made, however, is the role they played in establishing important principles that define the many civil liberties and civil rights that Americans enjoy today.
