constitutional law
George Carlin, Rest in #$%*ing Peace
George Carlin died today. A sign of a well-earned obituary, his life is still more interesting for its events than for its passing. From the New York Times -
In 1970, Mr. Carlin discarded his suit, tie, and clean-cut image as well as the relatively conventional material that had catapulted him to the top. Mr. […]
Be True to what You Said on Paper, Remembering Martin Luther King
At Concurring Opinions, Alice Ristroph’s Early Morning, April 4 turned me on to the full text of Martin Luther King’s I See The Promised Land. If you’ve never read it in it’s entirety, take a moment - it’s worth your while.
This portion in particular jumped out at me -
All we say to America is, “Be […]
Balkin & Posner Debate Liberty vs. Security on Bloggingheads.tv
Two leading Constitutional Law Profs, Jack Balkin (Yale) and Eric Posner (Chicago) face off on BloggingHeads.tv debating various aspects of Liberty vs. Security, focusing on whether or not we live in a time of emergency, the threat from government in a surveillance state and what it means for our civil liberties.
Bloggingheads.tv: Balkin & Posner on […]
Jeffrey Toobin might forgive Justice Thomas for being black or conservative, but not both
Jeffrey Toobin’s recent article Unforgiven, in this week’s New Yorker, is the latest in a long line of Supreme Court pundits puzzling over the enigma of a Supreme Court Justice who is both black and conservative.
Thomas came of age at a time when broad swaths of American society thought it was time for African-Americans to […]
Ad Absurdum - Las Cruces, New Mexico in legal fight over whether Symbol of Cross is Religious endorsement
Via How Appealing, comes this gem of a separation of church and state question - can the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico use the image of a cross in its emblem? I’ll point out that, if you never took spanish, Las Cruces translates into “The Crosses”. This wikipedia article on the city notes that […]
Coming Up, Constitution Day
Indeed, it has a day. The website breathlessly refers to it as “Celebrating the Birthday of your Government!” but I think the more appropriate analogy might be as our nation’s bar mitzvah, a coming of age a dozen or so years after independence.
In late 2004, Senator Byrd passed a legislation requiring that all schools, colleges […]
‘IV the Amendment’ T-Shirts Available
Knowing when to milk a good idea, Mark Bennett has released the latest of his HCCLA ’summer collection’ of amendment apparel, as aware of our constitutional rights as they are fashionable. Amendments are the new black. Available from Cafepress. I got mine.
IV the Amendment
Lest you think for a terrifying moment that you’re dyslexic and never […]