A simple Google search inquiring “why do US state legislatures have two chambers” returns no sources providing convincing, rational reasons. Rather, reviewing a number of the results, one hears the words from grammar and high school civics course resonating that… Read More ›
SCOTUS
Make No Law . . .
It was crystal clear to the authors of the US Constitution that the English experience in having established a state-favored religion caused unending mischief and bad public policy to the detriment of those who did not belong to the Church… Read More ›
The Catholic Supremes
With the seating of Amy Coney Barrett to SCOTUS in late 2020, the Court’s Catholic cohort of members, nominally or professed, became six of nine. They are: John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Brett Kavanaugh, and Ms. Barrett…. Read More ›
I Hear Ya Knockin’
This month, Virginia became one of three states to ban “no knock” warrants. Thirteen states have legislated in favor of this police power while the remainder deem such searches permissible with court approval. The procedure has had a troubled history,… Read More ›
We All Live in a Crowded Submarine
In March 1919 (Schenck v. US), Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes penned the oft-quoted phrase certifying that “falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic” was speech that Congress could prohibit and prosecute offenders. The defendant Schenck… Read More ›
Unpacking Supreme Court Gridlock
By Andrew Scalise One might expect that the entire country grieved on the evening of September 18 with news of the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but perhaps the only thing sadder than learning of her death… Read More ›
Religion and the Courts
On, Monday, November 26, 2020, in a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that limitations ordered by New York State upon religious gatherings in places of worship as protective measures against the COVIS-19 virus are unconstitutional. The ruling was… Read More ›
Proportions of Political Power
Since adoption of the US Constitution, the nation’s electorate has quietly sustained a national gerrymander known as the Electoral College (EC). It was inserted into the document to “balance” the interests of less populous states with those of the more… Read More ›
Brief Cases
VMI FORCED TO FACE RACISM AS EVENTS CASCADE Virginia Military Institute (VMI), founded in 1839 in Lexington, is facing perhaps the most seismic crisis of its existence. In 1996, former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the… Read More ›