This Supreme Court term has slated an interesting crop of cases that may force Judge Kennedy to resume his role as a swing vote on the Court. Continue reading “Supreme Court Term Opens”
Category: Constitutional Law
In what is shaping up to be a very interesting defamation case, a federal judge has ordered Rep. John Murtha to testify in a defamation lawsuit filed against him for commenting on an alleged Iraqi massacre. Continue reading “Murtha Must Testify in Defamation Case”
The New York Appellate Court ruled this week that a family court judge could not ban two homeless people from having children until they could get back their previous four children from foster care. Continue reading “Court upholds right of homeless couple to procreate”
Amid recent videos of police abuse, Chicago is facing thousands of complaints of police beating and arresting citizens with no cause. Between 2002 and 2004, over 10,000 complaints have been filed but only 18 have resulted in meaningful disciplinary action. Continue reading “Widespread Abuse Alleged Against Chicago Police Department”
Roughly 50 Boulder High School students walked out of class, protesting the reading of the Pledge of Allegiance and recited their own version, omitting “one nation, under God.” Continue reading “Students Protest Pledge of Allegiance with Walk-Out”
The Bush Administration has finally yielded to international demands and offerred legal representation to high-value detainees. For the story, click here It represents the abandonment of one of the most hypocritical and controversial positions of the United States in its war on terror. Continue reading “Bush Administration Finally Yields to Demand for Lawyers for High-Value Detainees”
Given the controversy over the apartment building barring individuals with tattoos, the prior column below may be of interest since it dealt with a case that almost received Supreme Court review on the constitutional aspects of state limitations. Continue reading “Tattoos and the Constitution”
U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken added her voice and her court to a growing list of judges who have struck down provisions of the Patriot Act. Continue reading “Another Judge Finds Patriot Act Provisions Unconstitutional”
An interesting fight is brewing in San Antonio over a new type of alleged discrimination. Gilbert Carrillo was not only denied a lease but lost his application fee due to his tattoos, which he views as an art form. Continue reading “Tattoo Discrimination? Apartment Building Bans Anyone with Tattoos and Piercings”
The ACLU has filed a lawsuit after a well-known anti-war activist was barred from the United States without any explanation or known justification. For the story, click here Adam Habib is deputy vice-chancellor of Research, Innovation and Advancement at the University of Johannesburg. He is also a muslim and anti-war scholar. Continue reading “Academic Freedom: Anti-War South African Scholar Banned from U.S.”
The Supreme Court today accepted a Kentucky case challenging the constitutionality of lethal injection as a form of execution. Continue reading “Supreme Court will Consider Constitutionality of Lethal Injections”
It is often said that one day on the cover of Time, the next day doing time. It is a reference to the perils of celebrity status. Today, while the state prosecutor in the Michael Vick dog-fighting case announced that he intended to file a flurry of charges against Vick, a grand jury handed down two charges against Vick: one count of killing dogs and one of promoting dogfights. For story, click here It has become now routine for state and federal prosecutors to essentially double charge for the same conduct. Continue reading “State Prosecutor Brings More Charges on Vick”
In a story that can only make Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad feel more comfortable visiting the United States, a community college professor says that he was fired after stating in his Western Civilization class that the story of Adam and Eve should not be read literally. A community college instructor in Red Oak claims he was fired after he told his students that the biblical story of Adam and Eve should not be literally interpreted.
Steve Bitterman calims that officials at Southwestern Community College fired him after a handful of students threatened legal action.
For the full story, click here
In only the latest bizarre statement for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he has claimed that there is no gay community in Iran, virtually suggesting a gay-free country. In fact, there is a struggling gay rights movement that has been repressed with his government’s signature cruelty and religious fanaticism. For disturbing pictures of the execution of two accused homosexuals, click here These pictures explain why so few openly gay individuals are visible in a country where morality laws demand that they be executed. For the video documentary on this civil rights movement, click here
The military has long been accused of discrmination against agnostics and atheists. Despite the claim that “there are no atheists in foxholes,” many soldiers have fought for the country despite being agnostics or atheists. Their patriotism comes from faith in our country, but that is not enough for some military officers. Recently, wiccan families have protested the refusal to include their symbols on tombstones for fallen soldiers who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, Spc. Jeremy Hall has filed a lawsuit saying that he was punished for trying to organize meetings for atheists and non-Christians in Iraq, including an effort to block his reenlistment. For the full story, click here