Legal information, not legal advice. Every jurisdiction page carries its verification status and sources.

LawLegianceWorld Legal Atlas

United States

United States of America

Common lawFederal presidential constitutional republicReviewed· 2026-06-18
Capital
Washington, D.C.
Population
335,000,000
Languages
English, Spanish
Currency
USD
Ask about United States
CourtsBodiesHow-to
Compare with another jurisdiction

United States · Rights

Rights in United States

What the atlas records on rights in United States, checked against the primary sources cited below.

Rights

Sectoral federal rules plus comprehensive state statutes

Reviewed· 2026-08-03

There is no general federal privacy statute. Health data (HIPAA), financial data (GLBA) and children's data (COPPA) are regulated separately, while comprehensive obligations come from state law led by California.

Key rules

  • The CCPA/CPRA gives California residents access, deletion, correction and opt-out-of-sale rights.
  • The FTC polices unfair or deceptive privacy practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act.
  • Breach notification is governed by all 50 states, with differing deadlines and thresholds.

Governing law

  • California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by CPRA (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.100)
  • HIPAA Privacy Rule (45 C.F.R. Part 164)

Penalties and consequences

  • Up to $7,500 per intentional CCPA violation
  • FTC consent decrees with 20-year compliance monitoring

In practice

Compliance is usually built to the strictest applicable state standard and then applied nationally, because maintaining fifty separate data flows is more expensive than levelling up.

Sources

Rights

A written constitution with judicial review and strong federalism

Reviewed· 2026-08-03

The 1788 Constitution is the supreme law. Federal courts may refuse to apply any statute or executive act that conflicts with it, a power asserted in Marbury v. Madison (1803) rather than granted expressly.

Key rules

  • Powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment.
  • The Bill of Rights binds the states through the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause.
  • Amendment requires two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-quarters of state legislatures.

Governing law

  • United States Constitution (1788)27 amendments; Bill of Rights ratified 1791
  • Judiciary Act (28 U.S.C.)Structure and jurisdiction of the federal courts

In practice

There is no general constitutional complaint procedure. Constitutional arguments are raised inside ordinary litigation, which means a claimant needs standing: a concrete, particularised injury that is traceable and redressable.

Sources

Found something out of date on United States · Rights?

Corrections are reviewed against the primary source before anything changes.

Report a correction