O'NEILL v. Morse

The development of our constitutional democracy and the constantly evolving legal history of our Bill of Rights guaranteeing “due process” and the “equal protection of the laws” to all persons are not accidental.

Through the years the state and Federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court, have struggled with the meaning of the word “person” as that term is used in the Bill of Rights.

There was a time, early in our nation’s history, when Indians were not regarded as persons, and the courts had to make it plain that indeed Indians were persons, entitled to constitutional guarantees.…