In his post below, David Kopel writes:
District of Columbia v. Heller clearly establishes self-defense (not just gun ownership for self-defense) as a constitutional right. In light of Heller, what are some cases from state courts or lower federal courts which might have to be reversed or modified? I am thinking particularly of cases which describe self-defense as a government-granted privilege, for which fewer due process and other protections are available than for a “right.” I am not looking for gun regulation cases, but rather for cases about self-defense in general.
David, could you explain why you think Heller “clearly establishes self-defense (not just gun ownership for self-defense) as a constitutional right”? Off the top of my head, I tend to disagree with this claim about the scope of Heller. The fact that the Constitution protects a constitutional right to do X when it serves interest Y does not mean that there is a constitutional right to serve interest Y unrelated to X. I’m curious, what passage in Heller do you have in mind that suggests differently?