US Constitution
Justice Jackson’s birthright citizenship opinion includes Black Americans in the story of the nation’s search for equality
Jackson’s concurrence traces the 14th Amendment to work done by people ‘beyond Congress’ and Black Americans who ‘helped galvanize the push for full equality.’
As the US turns 250, a forgotten founding influence helps explain its current unease
Montesquieu shaped how Americans understood liberty, and his warning about a ‘tyranny of opinion’ speaks to today’s polarization.
In rebuke to Trump, Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship, emphasizing the promise of equality in the Declaration of Independence
Pointing to the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment, the high court ruled that all babies born in the United States ‘are citizens by birth.’
Trump doesn’t own the government – even though he acts as if Congress is not his equal in constitutional power and authority
In President Donald Trump’s public language, Congress rarely appears as a coequal branch of government. It appears as an obstacle, an audience, a pressure point, a rubber stamp or an afterthought.
Juneteenth reminds us of Black Americans’ long struggle for education following end of slavery
Enslaved people were not just enslaved physically, but mentally as well. as widespread laws in the South barred enslaved people from receiving an education.
The US Constitution and laws do not protect oil companies from being sued over the harm they cause to the climate
Calls for the Supreme Court to give fossil fuel companies immunity from liability for climate-related damage misreads the Constitution, precedent and the role of courts.
When a president settles his own lawsuit to create a fund for allies, fundamental questions about justice arise
Donald Trump’s suit against the IRS and the settlement creating a $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund to compensate his allies raise important moral and constitutional issues.
When a president is unfit for office, here’s what the Constitution says can happen
Amid lawmakers’ calls for the president’s removal from office, Americans may be wondering what would come next.
Trump sidelined Congress’ authority over war on Iran – and lawmakers allowed it, extending a 75‑year trend
Congress has refused to exercise oversight of the Iran war, with Republicans nixing Democrats’ attempts to exercise legislators’ power over military engagements. That’s nothing new.