Topic: Constitutional Law

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'Stop and frisk': 7 questions about New York's controversial policing tactic

A federal class-action lawsuit regarding the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk program has raised questions about the controversial practice made legal under a 1968 US Supreme Court ruling. But what is it, and does it work?
Playing the IRS card: Six presidents who used the IRS to bash political foes

Since the advent of the federal income tax about a century ago, several presidents – or their zealous underlings – have directed the IRS to use its formidable police powers to harass or punish enemies, political rivals, and administration critics. Here are six infamous episodes.
10 best books of May, according to Amazon's editors

Amazon staffers say these books are the cream of the crop among May releases.
Thomas Jefferson: 16 quotes on his birthday

Here are 16 quotes to mark the birthday of American founding father Thomas Jefferson.
3 questions to ask about US drone policy

White House spokesman Jay Carney has defended the Obama administration's controversial drone policy, asserting: “These strikes are legal, they are ethical, and they are wise.” But rather than closing the debate, that statement frames the three essential questions Americans should be asking about US drone policy.

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A victory for Republicans, Florida wins use of federal database to purge voters

The federal government has granted Florida access to a law enforcement database, to be used in the state's effort to prevent noncitizens from voting.
Democrats renew bid to require big campaign donors to disclose

DISCLOSE Act would require corporations, labor unions, and other groups to disclose campaign donations of more than $10,000, but it faces a GOP filibuster in the Senate.
Robert Reich Regressives and Progressives: A new brand of partisanship

This election is not merely about Republicans versus Democrats; the larger battle is between regressives and progressives. Regressives want to take this nation backward, progressives are determined to take this nation forward.
House may prosecute journalists for reporting leaked information

After recent New York Times stories containing information that some considered a threat to national security the House is considering revising the Espionage Act, and allowing journalists to be prosecuted for disclosing sensitive information.
Decoder Wire Mitt Romney addresses NAACP. How many black votes might he win? (+video)

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gets a cool reception at the NAACP convention but he may have gone for reasons other than winning votes this November.
Opinion: In Pennsylvania, the Rosa Parks of voter ID faces down GOP voter suppression

A Pennsylvania court will hear a suit challenging the state's voter ID law, which requires a volume of voter qualification proof not present in a Supreme Court ruling that upheld voter ID. Leading the charge: a 93-year-old black woman. If she loses, Republican voter suppression wins.
Attorney General Eric Holder, in Texas, slams state's voter ID law

Eric Holder, addressing a national NAACP convention in Houston, pledged to aggressively enforce voting and other civil rights laws and compared the Texas voter ID law to an illegal poll tax.
George Zimmerman, the Constitution, and the shifting politics of self-defense

George Zimmerman’s lawyer says at the heart of the Trayvon Martin murder case lies a constitutional prerogative: The right of Americans to carry guns and use them in self-defense. Is he right?
Questions about chief justice's health-care ruling could have lasting impact

Speculation persists over why Chief Justice John Roberts joined liberals to uphold the President Obama's signature health-care reform law, and that could affect the Supreme Court.
Mass protests in Hong Kong as new leader is sworn in

Tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators gathered to protest 15 years of Chinese rule as Hong Kong's third chief executive was being sworn in.
Robert Reich Game changer: Justice Roberts switches teams

The Court’s majority, made possible by Chief Justice Roberts' surprise decision, has given a huge victory to the Obama administration and, arguably, the American people. The Affordable Care Act is still flawed, but it is also a milestone.
Tax VOX Verdict’s in: SCOTUS upholds passel of health care tax provisions

The Supreme Court has ruled that Congress can require people to either have health insurance or pay a tax if they don’t. The political fate of the Affordable Care Act remains to be seen, of course, but at least we know it is constitutional.
Obama health-care law: Supreme Court upholds it in entirety

A 5-to-4 Supreme Court majority – including Chief Justice John Roberts – determined that the Obama health-care law was authorized under Congress’s power to raise and collect taxes.
Obama wins big on health-care law, but court ruling sure to energize GOP (+video)

US Supreme Court's decision vindicates President Obama's insistence that his health-care reform law is constitutional. The political cost: Republicans can tap into public dislike of the law.
Health-care reform law: How Supreme Court ruling affects families

The US Supreme Court ruling upholding President Obama's health-care reform law carries major import for millions of American families. Notably, many who are uninsured will gain access to health coverage.
The Passage of Power

In Volume IV of “The Years of Lyndon Johnson,” biographer Robert A. Caro concentrates on the succession of political triumphs and defeats that accompanied LBJ to the Oval Office.
Not all states with immigration laws will backpedal after Supreme Court ruling

States with tough immigration laws – like the one the Supreme Court mostly invalidated from Arizona – are assessing adjustments they may need to make. Not all foresee changes.
Giant cross on government land: Supreme Court declines cases, for now

The Supreme Court refused to take two cases in a longstanding church-state dispute over the 43-foot Mt. Soledad cross on federal lands in La Jolla, Calif. The court expects that lower courts may yet resolve the issue.
Supreme Court strikes down Montana law, reaffirming Citizens United

Voting 5 to 4, the justices found, in a two-paragraph opinion, that the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling applied to a 100-year-old Montana anticorruption law barring corporate money in elections.
Most of Arizona immigration law cannot stand, Supreme Court rules

But the Supreme Court upheld a provision requiring police to check the immigration status of people they have reason to suspect are illegal immigrants – the most controversial part of the Arizona immigration law.
Supreme Court says broadcast decency standards too vague

The Supreme Court ruled that the FCC didn’t give broadcasters enough notice before enforcing new standards on language and nudity. But because the court didn't address the underlying constitutional issue of free speech, a variety of interest groups all claimed a measure of victory.
Title IX at 40: what it’s done for gender equity – and the road still ahead

The landmark civil rights law turns 40 this week, and White House officials and others are looking at the effect of Title IX in schools, particularly in terms of sports and the sciences and math.
For Paul McCartney's Birthday: The Top 40 McMoments

On former Beatle Paul McCartney's 70th birthday, here are 40 memorable moments from his musical life.
Yale settles Title IX complaint, launches new sexual misconduct policies

The Department of Education had accused Yale University of violating Title IX by not having an adequate system for reporting and resolving incidents of sexual harassment and assault.
Town swears off swearing, passes $20 profanity fine

Swearing in public now carries a $20 fine in Middleborough, Mass., after residents voted in favor of the measure aimed at dissuading rowdy teenagers from ruining the downtown neighborhood with their foul mouths.