Nov 24, 2024
Demonstrators holding signs advocating for electors to "Vote Your Conscience" during a protest related to the Electoral College.
Faithless Electors: Supreme Court Rules That Penalties are Proper

Presidential elections in the United States use a system referred to as the Electoral College. Under this system, elections are not determined based on which candidate received the most votes, but rather on which candidate secured the largest number of Electoral College votes. Each state is assigned a certain number... Read More »

A woman wearing a mask points a handgun out of a window.
Couple Charged for "Defending" Home Against Protestors

A St. Louis prosecutor filed charges against a local couple after the pair brandished firearms at protesters. Footage of the scuffle, which began after the agitators swarmed onto the couple's lawn, was widely circulated on social media. "It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner — that is... Read More »

A man wearing a mask grips prison bars, highlighting the struggles of inmates during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prisoners Across the Country File Pandemic-Related Lawsuits

COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on the U.S. incarceration system. Multiple COVID-related lawsuits, brought forth by prisoners, are percolating through courts across the country. At the center of theses suits lie allegations that prison workers are neglecting inmates' safety and exposing them to unsafe conditions. Officials claim that they're doing their... Read More »

Image depicting the U.S. Constitution with a focus on the First Amendment and a gavel.
Federal Judge Protects the Power of the Press in Portland

The power of the press, a cornerstone of holding the government accountable, is considered sacred in witnessing injustice and informing the public without government limitation through censorship or exertion of influence. Throughout global history, particularly in times of war and national strife, political corruption walks hand-in-hand with the suppression of... Read More »

A statue wearing a traffic cone hat and a face mask, symbolizing protests against racial injustice.
Tennessee Ratifies New Penalties Rife with Racial Disparity for Protestors

So far, in the indisputably turbulent year of 2020, Tennessee has already seen several controversies bring its legislators into the national spotlight. Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally posted (and subsequently deleted) a menacing “warning” to the Black Lives Matter community. The state Supreme Court made headlines when it ruled that fear... Read More »

Sign informing the public about local ordinance requiring masks or face coverings in public.
Can the Government Make You Wear a Mask?

With the majority of states currently requiring their citizens to wear masks in public, there has been pushback. People against mask mandates are saying that the government cannot make the public wear masks because there is no legal basis for it, and therefore it is not constitutional. However, is this... Read More »

Mail-in ballot applications on a table, highlighting the voting process for upcoming elections.
Mail-in Voting Pushback, but is it as Bad as Some Claim?

With concerns regarding COVID-19, there has been discussion of giving people the option to mail in ballots instead of going in person to vote. Forty-six states are providing some form of mail-in voting. Twenty-four of these states have a Democratic governor, and 22 of these states have a Republican governor,... Read More »

Close-up of a smartphone screen displaying the TikTok and Instagram app icons, with a clock reading 3:38 and a temperature of 17 degrees.
TikTok Suing Trump Administration Over Executive Order

The Trump Administration is currently engaged in a legal battle with the short-form video app TikTok. The popular app, which 100 million U.S. residents use, is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. The order bans TikTok if that company fails to sell to an American based company within 45 days-... Read More »

A gavel resting on a document with the words "We the People," set against an American flag background.
It’s Unanimous, Says a Divided Court

On April 20, 2020, the Supreme Court deemed it unconstitutional to convict a criminal in state court without a unanimous jury in its ruling on Ramos v. Louisiana. According to the decision, the Sixth Amendment of the Bill of Rights requires trial “by an impartial jury.” Therefore, it necessitates a... Read More »

Members of Congress raising their hands to vote during a legislative session.
Can Congress Shield Businesses from Liability to Workers?

America is watching the lawmaking process with the same attention as would ordinarily be dedicated to the sports that have long been absent from the country under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic. On July 27, 2020, Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn introduced the newest effort to provide comprehensive federal... Read More »

A line of police in riot gear holding shields during a protest.
State versus Federal Police Power

In May, President Trump threatened to deploy the U.S. military in response to protests roiling the country. However, it's not clear that he has the power to do so. American law prohibits the use of the military on domestic soil except in very specific circumstances. To order troops into a... Read More »