On December 14 2011, the House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 1540, a bill that violates the 5th Amendment and 6th Amendment rights of people under the Constitution. These Amendments, part of the Constitution’s Bill of Rights, prohibits the government from detaining people without charge forever, without a trial, without being informed of their [...]

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, [...]

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 complete roll call of the vote on the budget cuts that were rushed through the House of Representatives, unbalanced by tax cuts, in order to allow for the approval of the debt ceiling increase. The roll call is separated by political party, according to those who voted in favor and against, as well as the three representatives who did not vote at all.

The Tea Party movement and the national organizations claiming to represent it have repeatedly asserted the importance of limited government. A number of politicians were elected to Congress in 2010 by surfing atop the wave of Tea Party cries to protect the Constitution. Today, the commitment of those politicians to limited constitutional government was put [...]

Section 1034 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011 gives the President of the United States perpetual authority to use military force anywhere in the world that the President believes holds terrorists. Section 1034 abrogates Congress’ constitutional authority and duty under Article I Section 8 of the United States Constitution to declare war. In [...]

Yesterday’s markup was an opportunity for reform of the abusive law, with amendments that could have brought the Patriot Act closer to compliance with the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment guarantee of protection from unreasonable search and seizure. Yet, every single reform that was offer was rejected by the House Judiciary Committee.

Last year, the Department of the Interior published regulations to keep the carcinogenic and otherwise poisonous rubble created by mountaintop removal mining out of the streams that sustain wildlife and (if you want to be anthropocentric) feed into the drinking water supplies for millions of Americans. Last month, Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio introduced H.Amdt [...]

In the unexpectedly drawn-out reauthorization of the Patriot Act in February of 2011 there is an unusual opportunity to study the dynamics of legislative decision-making across time, not just one cross-sectional snapshot. On February 8, House Speaker John Boehner wrangled a vote on H.R. 514 to reauthorize the Patriot Act, suspending the normal House rules [...]

A roll call of the House Democrats, listing those who voted in favor of tax cuts for billionaires, and those who voted against the legislation.