Susan Shelley, author of "How the First Amendment Came to Protect Topless Dancing," on why Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers demands privacy for her opinion of the 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut privacy rights case, and what to do about it. PRWEB) October 10, 2005 -- Author Susan Shelley offers a time-saving "cheat sheet" for people who need to know in a hurry why the Senate Judiciary Committee keeps bringing up the Supreme Court's 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut case.

Senator Sam Brownback expressed frustration that Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers would not answer his questions about it in a meeting in his Senate office.

"She did not take a position on it, nor did she say she would take a position on it, nor did she think it appropriate to have a position on it," Brownback said.

Griswold v. Connecticut is the landmark case that established a constitutional right to privacy, striking down a Connecticut law banning birth control. It was a precedent for the much more controversial Roe v. Wade case in 1973, which struck down a Texas law restricting abortion.

Susan Shelley, author of "How the First Amendment Came to Protect Topless Dancing," presents a clear and comprehensive guide to understanding Griswold and related issues on her America Wants to Know blog, online at http://www.AmericaWantsToKnow.com.

Read "Harriet Miers' Private Views on Privacy" at http://www.extremeink.com/awtk/2005/10/harriet-miers-private-views-on-privacy.html.

"How the First Amendment Came to Protect Topless Dancing," which is published as an appendix to Susan Shelley's 2002 novel, "The 37th Amendment," can be read online in its entirety at http://www.ExtremeInk.com/appendix.htm or at http://www.The37thAmendment.com.

For more information and commentary from Susan Shelley, including column-length essays on the Incorporation Doctrine, privacy rights and related issues, visit http://www.SusanShelley.com or http://www.AmericaWantsToKnow.com.