In the Kagan Hearings I learned something about the law that I didn't know before. It turns out that the Bill of Rights (the first ten Amendments to the Constitution) only protect me from Federal Laws. The Fourteenth Amendment applies the Bill of Rights to the States. At least that is what the conservative Justices think; as far as I can tell the Liberals don't think individuals have the right to free speech or to bear arms. In the Chicago gun law case just decided it appears that the liberals don't think that citizens have a right to self defense. As I recall, Justice Sotomayor said hat the Constitution does not give citizens the right to self defense before her appointment was confirmed by the Senate. I seems certain to me that should one conservative Justice die or retire while Obama is President, it would be the end of the Constitution.