Individual rights,collective interests,public law,and American politics

The author completed this article while on leave as a Visiting Fellow of New College, Oxford, on a grant from the George A. and Eliza Howard Foundation of Brown University. He wishes to acknowledge his debts to these institutions as well as to Christopher Wolfe, Daniel Robinson, William C. Porth, John Finnis, and the anonymous referee, all of whom criticized earlier drafts and offered valuable suggestions.