substantive right
noun
: a right (as of life, liberty, property, or reputation) held to exist for its own sake and to constitute part of the normal legal order of society
Examples of substantive right in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Anti-SLAPP laws are statutes that provide a substantive right of a person to an early dismissal of causes of action brought against them with the effect of silencing or punishing their First Amendment (and corresponding state constitutional) rights to freedom of speech and to petition.
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Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Today, millions of Indonesians may be able to vote, but the substantive rights typically accorded to citizens of a democracy are far from guaranteed.
—Krithika Varagur, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2022
And if so, do the substantive rights include a woman’s right to make decisions about her body, including the decision whether to continue her pregnancy?
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2020
For Judge Tatel, this ruling implies only that Guantánamo detainees lack a substantive right to enter the United States.
—S.m. | New York, The Economist, 12 June 2019
Notice and comment procedures, in which the public is made aware of pending changes in the law and offered a chance to discuss them, typically are required when a new policy affects peoples' substantive rights and interests.
—Gregg Re, Fox News, 8 Aug. 2018
Unions argue that mandatory arbitration requires workers to renounce their substantive rights under federal law, but class actions are a procedural mechanism.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 1 Oct. 2017
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Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Today, millions of Indonesians may be able to vote, but the substantive rights typically accorded to citizens of a democracy are far from guaranteed.
—Krithika Varagur, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2022
And if so, do the substantive rights include a woman’s right to make decisions about her body, including the decision whether to continue her pregnancy?
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2020
For Judge Tatel, this ruling implies only that Guantánamo detainees lack a substantive right to enter the United States.
—S.m. | New York, The Economist, 12 June 2019
Notice and comment procedures, in which the public is made aware of pending changes in the law and offered a chance to discuss them, typically are required when a new policy affects peoples' substantive rights and interests.
—Gregg Re, Fox News, 8 Aug. 2018
Unions argue that mandatory arbitration requires workers to renounce their substantive rights under federal law, but class actions are a procedural mechanism.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 1 Oct. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Substantive right.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/substantive%20right. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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