Washington volume
Constitution & civil rights
The U.S. Constitution is the floor. Your state constitution can add rights; it cannot take away federal ones.
Federal floor
Supremacy and a federal floor
The Constitution, federal statutes, and treaties are the supreme law of the land. A state may add protections. It may not undercut a federal right.
Due process and equal protection
The Fifth Amendment binds the federal government; the Fourteenth Amendment binds the states. Both require fair process and forbid unjustified discrimination.
Privileges of citizenship
Birthright and naturalized citizens share the same civil rights of national citizenship. Territories have a more complex statutory relationship — read the Organic Act or covenant for that volume.
In Washington
- Washington is an all-party consent state for recording many private conversations. Confirm current RCW 9.73.