In 1966, the United Nations adopted the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This document was designed to strengthen and further elaborate upon the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, specifically regarding the civil rights of individuals, including the freedom of speech, the right to a fair trial, and the right to be treated equally (without the distinction of race, gender, or religion). In 1977, eleven years after the UN ratified the ICCPR, the Carter Administration submitted to document to the U.S. Congress for ratification. However, in Carter’s transmission message, there was an accompanying note that allowed Congress to attach reservations, understandings, or declarations (RUDs) to the document. These stipulations essentially acted as caveats to the ICCPR, outlining which articles the United States would either not obey or would interpret in its own way due to conflict with preexisting U.S. law.