It’s a classic Orwellian nightmare: The government decides to deny you a right it extends to other people, but it won’t tell you why and it won’t tell you what you can do about it. You’re stuck in purgatory, effectively convicted without being tried — or even being told the charge against you.

This system is in use by both the federal government and the state of Illinois. But George Orwell is dead, and the Constitution is not. So citizens put on double-secret probation by law enforcement agencies may turn to the courts to escape, and they may win.