Eminent domain is the government’s right to seize private property for public purposes as long as the original property owners are compensated. Despite the Constitution’s guarantees of life, liberty, and property, eminent domain allows the government to take things even if the owners are unwilling to accept compensation. What is eminent domain? How has it been used, and what is its role in today’s society?

The Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment requires the federal and state governments to provide equal protection under their laws to all individuals in the US. What does “equal protection” mean?

What about ourselves can we keep private? In part, the issue is whether anything can be considered private in a world where corporations collect and sell personal information to the highest bidder and government regulations shape even the most personal choices. At the same time, keeping information private can cause social harm – for example, most people would agree that a would-be mass shooter should not have the right to keep their preparations private. Balancing these competing interests, the courts have established that individuals have a right to keep some information private and to make some decisions without government oversight. How much privacy does this right give the average American? How do these decisions balance an individual’s interest in privacy with society’s interest in preventing bad outcomes?