The final assignment for this course is a Final Paper. The purpose of the Final Paper is to give you an opportunity to apply much of what you have learned about American national government to an examination of civil liberties in the context of the war on terror.
1. Write an essay about the right of habeas corpus in the context of the war on terror. Your essay should address the following subtopics:
2. Explain the historical evolution of habeas corpus, including its English and American traditions. The explanation of its evolution within the American tradition should include the general meaning of the right of habeas corpus in the U.S. Constitution and its relationship to the protection of other civil liberties.
3. Provide examples from U.S. history of the suspension of habeas corpus and their applicability to the present.
4. Analyze the relevance of habeas corpus to the contemporary U.S. situation during the war on terror, especially with respect to persons characterized by as enemy combatants or illegal combatants.
5. Explain the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the right of habeas corpus with respect to enemy combatants or illegal combatants (i.e., the views of the five justices making up the majority in Boumediene v. Bush as well as the views of the four dissenting justices).
6. Evaluate a minimum of four perspectives on this topic expressed by justices of the Supreme Court, leaders in other branches of government, and commentators in both the academic and popular media. Your evaluation should consider perspectives on the following topics as they relate to habeas corpus:
7. The role of the President as Commander-in-Chief.
8. The role of Congress in determining when habeas corpus can be suspended.
9. The role of the Supreme Court in protecting civil liberties, including the judicial philosophy which should guide the Court in this role, and
10. In your evaluation, you should also include your personal philosophy, values, or ideology about the balance between civil liberties and national security in the context of an unending war on terror.