In our discussion of voter ID laws today questions were brought up regarding ID's in general and whether people are required to show ID when asked to by the police, which obviously would require that people carry ID with them. I had to admit that I was a bit out of date on my understanding of the issue.
Apparently I'm not alone. Guidelines are slippery, but tend to depend on whether the police have reasonable suspicion that you are committing a crime, or are wanted. The controlling Supreme Court case is Hiibel v. Nevada.
In addition to the voter ID dispute, increased focus on terrorism and illegal immigration has led more people to support legislation mandating that people identify themselves when asked.
Is this a violation of privacy rights? Or does the need for effective law enforcement trump those rights?
