[RWebb]

Jim - will you trust me on this?

US Constitutional rights (for either citizens or, more recently for corporations) are protected against federal govt. action. A little later, an amendment extended that to protections against the state govts.

Statutes also confer rights (and so do Administrative Rules) that is what people often think of in these matters, but they are not Constitutional. I do not find it appalling; I find it a common misunderstanding.

BTW - government actions include the courts; and there may be some state constitutions that do what you are thinking of -- dunno.