Merino, Noel. Civil Liberties.

Merino, Noel.  Civil Liberties.  Cengage (Gale/Blackbirch/Greenhaven)  2013  250p   ISBN 978-0-7377-6305-8  series: Opposing Viewpoints  hs E-BN  Nonfiction 

Once again, Opposing Viewpoints does an excellent job presenting varying viewpoints on timely topics. The inclusion of recent U. S. Supreme Court cases involving political spending limits and privacy issues makes this a timely volume for government classes as well as current events classes.  Each general section starts with background information followed by at least four articles that explain the divergent viewpoints held by key groups of people.  In the section on freedom of speech, issues such as political campaign spending, hate speech, and censorship are covered.  The second section looks at the separation of church and state, with articles on prayer in school and religious tolerance. The third section looks at due process, including the rights of illegal aliens and terrorists.  The fourth section looks at issues of privacy, including government surveillance, internet privacy, and the use of warrants before tracking citizens.  This title would be a first choice for high-school libraries. Opposing Viewpoints includes many titles that provide pro/con articles written within the last few years.  Each book provides an overview of the topic, a history of the important landmark events, a list of resources for further reading, and an index.

Summary: This book presents pro/con articles about freedom of speech, separation of church and state, privacy issues and due process.  Discussion of recent Supreme Court Cases, including Citizens United and United States versus Jones, make this a timely volume. Grades 9-12.             

Civil Liberties                                         --Lois McNicol