The Constitution Caucus of the House of Representatives proclaims itself dedicated to keeping congressional action within the bounds of the United States Constitution: “The Constitution is the guide I will never abandon.” — George Washington Recognizing that the Constitution can only be preserved if it lives in the hearts and minds of the American people, [...]

On January 6 2011, U.S. Representative Trent Franks participated in a show in the U.S. Capitol Building: the reading of the United States Constitution. Rep. Franks was assigned to read the Fifth Amendment: No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a [...]

On December 16 Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio voted to toss people into prison forever without charges, just because the government says that these people are terrorists. The Government doesn’t have to file charges or prove its accusations in court. That would be a trial, and trials are apparently out of date. In voting to [...]

Just before Thanksgiving in the House of Representatives, Rep. Ted Deutsch of Florida introduced H.J.Res. 90, and a few days later Bernie Sanders followed suit with a Senate counterpart, S.J.Res. 33. The two bills, which contain identical text, are a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment reads: Section 1. The rights protected by [...]

Last week, the U.S. Senate passed S. 1867, a military authorization bill with a special provision granting the U.S. military the power to put people into detention without charges and without any time limit. All classes of people are subject to detention without charge: Americans citizens and noncitizens, people living inside the borders of the [...]

This morning, the presidential nominating effort called Americans Elect introduced a new web feature called “Candidates,” in which it rates a select group of American politicians on the basis of their policy agreement with two documents: 1. Majority or plurality answers to a Ipsos Public Affairs Poll apparently commissioned by Americans Elect corporate staff, the [...]

In a 10-8 vote today, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of overturning the Defense of Marriage Act. Click here to view a webcast of the proceedings. S. 598, the Respect for Marriage Act, would reinstate the Full Faith and Credit clause of the United States Constitution as it applies to marriage, granting recognition [...]

A scandal has recently hit the New York Police Department, members of which have been convicted of planting drugs on innocent people and then arresting them for possession. This practice, called “flaking,” leads to impressive arrest statistics for a police department. The side effect: massive miscarriages of justice. The practice of false accusation is not [...]

S. 968, the Protect IP Act, allows the government or a corporation to enforce a takedown of a website if a judge determines it is an “ISDIA” (Internet site dedicated to infringing activities). Two very different stories about the Protect IP Act are being told. Artists opposing the PROTECT-IP / SOPA Act has one take: [...]

Republican Senator Scott Brown drove by the Occupy Boston protests against corporate greed last week. He didn’t get out of his car. He didn’t talk to any of his constituents. He didn’t even roll down his window. He didn’t have time for people peaceably assembling to petition for the redress of grievances. That’s old-school constitutional [...]