China's rise and its challenges, the emergence of robotics as a major economic force, Greece's fiscal woes, and the threat posed by a warming climate are among the most important things happening in the world today.
The Founders knew defense was important, which is why they made it a central part of the governmentâs. In his paper, âThe Price of Liberty: Providing for the Common Defense,â Matthew Spalding explains: It is the constitutional duty of the federal government to secure the countryâs international borders and preserve and protect its territorial integrity, to strengthen and preserve its constitutional government, and to promote the long-term prosperity and well-being of its people.
The right to present a defense is constitutionally guaranteed. The sacred right to present a defense is ingrained in our system of justice. After a long history of development, the common law in England recognized that the accused has a right to present a defense at trial. Imwinkelried, Exculpatory Evidence (1996) at 1. The United States Supreme Court has found the right to effectively present a defense to be constitutionally required. Evidentiary rules cannot prevent a defendant from presenting his defense. Chambers v. Mississippi, 410 U.S. 284 (1972).