The Bill of Rights is the first ten Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. It spells out Americans’ rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion.

The Bill of Rights also sets rules for due process of law and reserves all powers not delegated to the federal government to the people or to the states. And it specifies that “the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

In Vermont, as in all states, the Bill of Rights provides the foundational civil liberties and rights that protect individuals from government overreach. These first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution guarantee freedoms such as speech, press, and religion, and ensure due process of law. Vermont must abide by these federal protections, but it can also extend further protections through its own state constitution. The Tenth Amendment of the Bill of Rights, in particular, reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people, allowing Vermont to enact laws and regulations as long as they do not conflict with federal law or infringe upon the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Additionally, the Ninth Amendment indicates that the listing of certain rights in the Constitution does not mean that individuals do not hold other rights; this provides a broad spectrum of potential rights that are protected even if they are not specifically enumerated in the Constitution.