Includes bibliographical references and index.

The myth of rights : of aliens, corporations, and guns -- The nature of rights : a theoretical and historical overview -- Constitutional rights and the structure of government -- How constitutional rights limit government power -- Free speech and self-governance -- The religion clauses : reconciling accommodation and separation -- Property rights and economic regulation -- Racial discrimination and affirmative action : the meaning of equal protection -- Discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and other characteristics : translating equal protection -- The nontextual constitution : privacy and other unenumerated rights -- Structural rights and the War on Terror.