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A penumbra is a partial shadow that appears where light from part of the source is blocked and light from another part of the source is not blocked and filters through.

Justice William O. Douglas used the term "penumbra" to refer to fundamental rights or liberties that aren't specifically enumerated in the Constitution but can be inferred from the language in the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments. These rights are protected by the doctrine of substantive due process, an adaptation of the Due Process clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. The right to privacy is one example of such a right.

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10y ago

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