National Security Research Paper

The overarching idea of individual liberties is that they are fundamental, meaning that they have been recognized by the Supreme Court and are held at the highest degree of protection. Any type of governmental interference must be for the “furtherance of a legitimate governmental interest” and applied under the judicial review of strict scrutiny. This means that for a law has to pass, there must be a further “compelling governmental interest.” Currently, many of these liberties and rights are infringed upon in order to promote the general welfare or to establish security. A primary example of rights being compromised for security is the Patriot Act, which was established in 2001 after the 9/11 Attacks. The intent of the Act was to detect terrorism more efficiently; however, it invaded liberties such as the right of privacy and the right to Due Process under the Fourteenth Amendment. While our right of privacy is protected, under the overarching concern of national security, certain Due Process and privacy rights are limited in order to fight against terrorism. The right of privacy is also similar to the …show more content…
With the issue of privacy, the government has to make a decision of what the limitation should be and how far they can go into others rights in the name of national security or welfare. Currently, the farthest extent has been laws justified for general welfare and security such as the Patriot Act and the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. In the future, the controversies between the privacy of the people and the ability of the government to access private information in cell phones and other property will continue to develop and once again fall back on how valid the argument of national security and general welfare is on individual