# 3.1: Prelude to Constitutional Protections

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*Those who wrote our constitutions knew from history and experience that it was necessary to protect against unfounded criminal charges brought to eliminate enemies and against judges too responsive to the voice of higher authority.*

*- Duncan v. Louisiana, cited in Section 3.2*

![The image shows a close-up of the American flag, featuring red and white stripes and white stars on a blue field.](https://biz.libretexts.org/@api/deki/files/8791/5b7a3cb01b7ecf6662b8d687b6c838cb.jpg?revision=1\&size=bestfit\&width=670\&height=893)

*Source: Image courtesy of Tara Storm.*


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