In Our Defense celebrates freedom and our basic rights from religious choice to trail by jury. Article by article, intention by intention, the first ten amendments are examined through cases that have challenged and been interpreted through them. Alderman and Kennedy, the daughter of the late President, both graduated, both graduated from Columbia University Law School. 15 photos.

New York Times Bestseller

"Exceptionally timely and well-written. . . . Amendment by amendment, the authors find cases that are soul-searching in their ramifications. . . . This is a book that demands attention and consideration." --Denver Post

The Bill of Rights defines and defends the freedoms we enjoy as Americans--from the right to bear arms to the right to a civil jury. Using the dramatic true stories of people whose lives have been deeply affected by such issues as the death penalty and the right to privacy, attorneys Ellen Alderman and Caroline Kennedy reveal how the majestic principles of the Bill of Rights have taken shape in the lives of ordinary people, as well as the historic and legal significance of each amendment. In doing so, they shed brilliant new light on this visionary document, which remains as vital and as controversial today as it was when a great nation was newly born.