Special rights is a term originally used by libertarians to refer to laws granting rights to one or more groups which are not extended to other groups. Ideas of special rights are controversial, as they clash with the principle of equality before the law.
Potential examples of special rights include affirmative action policies or hate crime legislation with regard to ethnic, religious or sexual minorities, or the state recognition of marriage as a group with different taxation than those who are non-married.
Concepts of special rights are closely aligned with notions of group rights and identity politics.
Read more about Special Rights: Other Uses, Legal Argument, Libertarianism On Rights and Special Rights, Definition of Minorities
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—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
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