A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and private citizens. The term "bill of rights" originates from England, where it refers to the Bill of Rights 1689 enacted by Parliament following the Glorious Revolution, asserting the supremacy of Parliament over the monarch, and listing a number of fundamental rights and liberties.
Bills of rights may be entrenched or unentrenched. An entrenched bill of rights cannot be modified or repealed by a country's legislature through normal procedure, instead requiring a supermajority or referendum; often it is part of a country's constitution and therefore subject to special procedures applicable to constitutional amendments. A not entrenched bill of rights is a normal statute law and as such can be modified or repealed by the legislature at will.
In practice, not every jurisdiction enforces the protection of the rights articulated in its bill of rights.
Magna Carta (1215; England) rights for baronsGolden Bull of 1222 (1222; Hungary) rights for noblesStatute of Kalisz (1264; Kingdom of Poland) Jewish residents' rightsCharter of Kortenberg (1312; Belgium) rights for all citizens "rich and poor"Dušan's Code (1349; Serbia)Twelve Articles (1525; Germany)Pacta conventa (1573; Poland)Henrician Articles (1573; Poland)Petition of Right (1628; England)Bill of Rights 1689 (England) and Claim of Right Act 1689 (Scotland) This applied to all British Colonies of the time, and was later entrenched in the laws of those colonies that became nations - for instance in Australia with the Colonial Laws Validity Act 1865 and reconfirmed by the Statute of Westminster 1931Virginia Declaration of Rights (June 1776)Preamble to the United States Declaration of Independence (July 1776)Chapter 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution (July 1776)Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789; France)Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution (completed in 1789, ratified in 1791)Declaration of the Rights of the People (1811; Venezuela)Article I of the Constitution of Connecticut (1818)Constitution of Greece (1822; Epidaurus)Hatt-ı Hümayun (1856; Ottoman Empire)Article I of the Constitution of Texas (1875)Basic rights and liberties in Finland (1919)Articles 13-28 of the Constitution of Italy (1947)Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948, United Nations)Fundamental rights and duties of citizens in People's Republic of China (1949)European Convention on Human Rights (1950)Fundamental Rights of Indian citizens (1950)Implied Bill of Rights (a theory in Canadian constitutional law)Canadian Bill of Rights (1960)International Bill of Human Rights (1976)Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982)Article III of the Constitution of the Philippines (1987)Article 5 of the Constitution of Brazil (1988)New Zealand Bill of Rights Act (1990)Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms of the Czech Republic (1991)Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance (1991)Chapter 2 of the Constitution of South Africa (entitled "Bill of Rights") (1996)Human Rights Act 1998 (United Kingdom)Human Rights Act 2004 (Australian Capital Territory)Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2005)Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities (2006; Australian state of Victoria)Chapter Four of the Constitution of Zimbabwe (2013)Consumer Bill of RightsHomeless Bill of RightsTaxpayer Bill of RightsAcademic Bill of Rights, for studentsVeterans' Bill of RightsG.I. Bill of Rights, better known as the G.I. BillHomosexual Bill of Rights, drafted by North American Conference of Homophile OrganizationsLibrary Bill of Rights, published by the American Library AssociationEnvironmental Bill of Rights or Agenda 21Gamer's Bill of Rights, for video gamersCreator's Bill of Rights, comic writers and artistsDonor's Bill of Rights, for philanthropic donorsLaw Enforcement Officers' Bill of RightsCalifornia Voter Bill of Rights, adaptation of the Voting Rights ActIslamic Bill of Rights for Women in the MosqueNew Jersey Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights ActCredit Cardholders' Bill of Rights, contained within the Credit CARD Act of 2009Passengers' Bill of RightsClone Bill of Rights, promoted by Randy Wicker's Clone Rights United Front for human cloningAustralia is the only Western democratic country with neither a constitutional nor federal legislative bill of rights to protect its citizens, although there is ongoing debate in many of Australia's states. In 1973, Federal Attorney-General Lionel Murphy introduced a human rights Bill into parliament, although it was never passed. In 1984, Senator Stephen Bunce drafted a Bill of Rights, but it was never introduced into parliament, and in 1985, Senator Lionel Bowen introduced a bill of rights, which was passed by the House of Representatives, but failed to pass the Senate. Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard has argued against a bill of rights for Australia on the grounds it would transfer power from elected politicians (populist politics) to unelected (constitutional) judges and bureaucrats. Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) are the only states and territories to have a human rights Act. However, the principle of legality present in the Australian judicial system, seeks to ensure that legislation is interpreted so as not to interfere with basic human rights, unless legislation expressly intends to interfere.
