The idea that the federal Bill of Rights is the only thing standing between freedom and tyranny in America is deeply ingrained in the American mind. It is ubiquitous in our speech, for instance, as can be seen in how we use phrases like "my Second Amendment rights" or "I want to plead the Fifth [Amendment]." It is also assumed that unless the federal Supreme Court has intervened to declare that a legal right exists, then the right is virtually non-existent within the American legal system. Moreover, it is assumed that unless the federal supreme court mandates that state and local governments respect certain rights, then state and local governments will wantonly disregard the rights of their citizens. Put more bluntly, we are repeatedly told that the federal constitution protects your
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