US Constitution
Supreme Court to decide on whether Trump’s voting‑by‑mail rules can go into effect – but might not rule yet on whether they’re constitutional
How will the Supreme Court justices approach the vote-by-mail case that concerns the most fundamental right in a democracy, the right to vote? A former federal judge weighs in on their task.
How state constitutions became the battleground for American rights and liberties – on both the left and right
State constitutions play a growing role in American politics. But turning to such documents to recognize rights and liberties is not a new project – nor is it an entirely liberal one.
Fauci’s COVID‑origins hearing shows how conspiracy theories became political weapons
Conspiracy theories don’t just explain events – they identify villains, and Fauci is among the most popular.
Why ‘democratic neutrality’ is an overlooked threat to American democracy
While only a sliver of Americans say they support violating core democratic norms, many more say they’re ambivalent about politicians who undermine democracy.
Mail‑in voting: Trump administration appeals to Supreme Court to revive executive order setting limits, rejected by lower courts
The U.S. Constitution gives states control of elections. An executive order by President Donald Trump aims to take away that control and limit mail-in voting. The Supreme Court will now weigh in.
Is withholding federal counterterrorism funds from states – as FEMA has threatened – legal?
Legal scholars argue that when executive branch agencies impose conditions on federal funds, courts should give these cases special scrutiny.
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.