California bill would create interstate market for marijuana
While the federal government continues to pursue marijuana prohibition, the states continue to lead. And one piece of legislation in California could pose the most serious challenge yet to the…
COVID emergencies revealed the sweeping power given to state executives
Small government backers got a rude awakening during the pandemics’ darkest days: state codes and constitutions gave governors and health officials sweeping powers over all sorts of activities, with only…
Sorting out the conflicts of interest violations on the federal bench will take a toll on credibility
The conflict of interest problems that roiled the federal judiciary a few months ago continue to make waves, this time with appeals courts having to decide whether to overturn decisions…
Supreme Court rules CIA doesn’t have to disclose “black sites” used for torture
In a complicated ruling on whether the CIA could refuse to acknowledge the existence of so-called “black sites” that were used to interrogate (as in “torture”) suspected terrorists, the Supreme…
Protecting your right to get salty with the state
It’s every American’s right to protest their government, criticize its officials, and express contempt for its agents. And because some agents of the state don’t (or won’t) understand that right,…
The real voter suppression
To listen to politicians on the right, there’s an immediate need for tough, new “ballot security” measures to stop/prevent what some of them insist is widespread voter fraud. A big…
State of the Union addresses need to go
The annual spectacle of an American president reciting a speech that purports to be about the state of the country – but is really a laundry list of legislative proposals…
Biden picks Ketanji Brown Jackson for Supreme Court
President Joe Biden has made his Supreme Court pick – U.S. Appeals Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. While Jackson’s appointment, if successful, will not change the court’s ideological balance, and…
No knock raids need to go
Criminal justice reformers have frequently criticized law enforcement’s use of “no-knock” search warrants. The reason is simple – they can lead to tragedy. That’s exactly what happened in Minneapolis, when…
Democrats are hypocrites on voting rights
Lost in the debate, and succeeding rancor, over the failed package of voting changes the president and congressional Democrats sought to push through the Senate was a simple fact: major…
