‘Hard for it to be a bigger deal’: The future of American rights

For the past 60 years, Americans have been granted more federally guaranteed rights, from voting rights to the right to privacy. That era now appears to be over. Part 1 of an occasional series.

The Voting Rights Act. Title IX sex discrimination legislation. The Americans with Disabilities Act. Supreme Court rulings overturning state bans on contraception and interracial marriage, and legalizing abortion and gay marriage.

In general, over the past 60 years Americans have experienced a sweeping expansion of federally guaranteed personal rights. During this “rights revolution” era, the United States government...