Legal Rights

Legal rights are rights attributed by law. A right is an entitlement, which can operate as either an opportunity to do something or a restriction from doing something. There is a set of rights that are considered as natural rights, which are universal; that is, they exist in nature and are not contingent on particular beliefs. In contrast, while there is often a degree of overlap between natural and legal rights, legal rights exist irrespective of any possible connection to natural rights simply by virtue of the laws that establish them.

In the United States, the Constitution establishes fundamental rights in its first 10 amendments, called the Bill of Rights. It is here that rights such as free speech and due process are articulated. Federal, state, ...