Doe v. Wilmington Housing Authority, is the name of a 2014 Delaware Supreme Court en banc unanimous decision that recognized the right to bear arms outside one’s home based on the Delaware State Constitution, Article I, Section 20. The gist of the opinion was highlighted on these pages here. The plaintiff in that case, a resident of public housing, could not have vindicated her rights through four years of litigation without the support of the National Rifle Association.
The NRA News TV Channel recently interviewed the plaintiff, who until the final decision was published, remained anonymous for fear of retaliation. The link to a video clip of her interview is available via this hyperlink.
Why is this relevant to this blog on Delaware corporate litigation? Because, as the U.S. Supreme Court has recently and repeatedly confirmed, the right to self defense, which is at the heart of the right to bear arms in both the U.S. Constitution and the Delaware Constitution, is a natural right that every person is born with. It is not a right granted by the U.S. Constitution. Rather, the U.S. Constitution and analogous provisions in state constitutions recognize this pre-existing right that we are all born with. One cannot give someone something they already have. Few rights enjoy this exalted status. It is such a fundamental right, it transcends the limited focus of this blog. God Bless America.