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BREAKING: “Appeals court strikes ObamaCare mandate, sends case back to lower court”
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/475186-appeals-court-strikes-obamacare-mandate-sends-case-back-to-lower-court 1A Establishment: Freedom from Religion Foundation strikes again, bullies third-graders in Oklahoma until school yanks nativity scene from annual show https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/12/freedom-from-religion-foundation-succeeds-gets-3rd/ 5A Eminent Domain: feds knew Houston reservoir likely to flood residences, therefore liable for Hurricane Harvey damage, judge rules https://reason.com/2019/12/17/federal-court-rules-that-federal-government-flooding-of-homes-during-hurricane-harvey-is-a-taking/ 5A Double Jeopardy: Manhattan judge tosses state fraud prosecution against Paul Manafort, clearing the way for a presidential pardon; DA vows to appeal https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7806193/Paul-Manafort-New-York-state-fraud-prosecution-DISMISSED-double-jeopardy.html 1A Association: federal judge strikes down L.A. ordinance forcing companies to disclose ties to the NRA to get government contracts https://freebeacon.com/issues/judge-blocks-ordinance-exposing-nra/ 1A: Judge Willett reverses himself, now dissents from 5th Circuit’s approval of suit attempting to impose liability on BLM protest organizer for injury to Louisiana police officer when violence was not incited https://reason.com/2019/12/16/judge-willetts-change-of-heart/ + https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/12/don-willetts-deray-mckesson-free-speech/603772/ 14A: Samoans are American citizens, federal judge rules https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/12/12/Judge-rules-American-Samoans-are-US-citizens/6991576203652/ 1A: legal groups sue to stop State Department requirement that all applicants for U.S. visas register their social media handles; argues registration chills free speech https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/social-media-vetting-visa-applicants-violates-first-amendment 8A Cruel and Unusual Punishment: Supreme Court lets 9th Circuit ruling stand striking down local laws against homeless people sleeping outside https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/12/16/Supreme-Court-declines-to-hear-case-over-homeless-people-sleeping-outdoors/1751576524793/?mph=4 4A: Oregon Supreme Court rules officers can no longer seek consent to search vehicle or ask other non-germane questions during routine traffic stops; ruling seen as curtailment of racial profiling https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/14/us/traffic-stop-disparities-oregon-supreme-court-ruling/index.html 1A Religion: legal foundation says school district in New York showed impermissible hostility to religion in refusing formation of student Christian club https://freebeacon.com/issues/ny-school-district-blocks-christian-club/ 1A, Commerce Clause: pharma group argues Oregon price transparency laws would force disclosure of trade secrets and are, therefore, unconstitutional https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/pharmacy/phrma-sues-oregon-over-drug-pricing-transparency-laws.html 1A Free Press: Maryland law requiring newspapers to publish information about political ads unconstitutionally burdens First Amendment rights without doing much to remedy foreign interference in elections (Fourth Circuit) http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/191132.P.pdf 1A Establishment: review sought in two cases testing whether religious schools have the right to choose their own religion teachers https://fedsoc.org/commentary/blog-posts/ninth-circuit-says-government-can-impose-unwanted-religion-teachers-on-religious-schools 5A Self-Incrimination: pharmacist who willingly submits to 4-hour interrogation to build case against other is ruled to have given voluntary statements because he freely chose to submit and could have left at any time; conviction affirmed (Third Circuit) https://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/181881p.pdf Discrimination v. Right of Association: this is the U.K., but could happen in the U.S. - pro-life Catholic kicked out of political party sues for religious discrimination https://www.lifenews.com/2019/12/12/pro-life-elected-official-sues-liberal-democrats-for-kicking-him-out-of-party-because-hes-catholic/ Commerce Clause: Louisiana expected to sue California over new law prohibiting importation and sale of alligator-skin products https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article238282048.html Economic Freedom, 1A: Georgia woman sues state nursing board for threatening to fine her $500 for truthfully calling herself a midwife even though she doesn’t have extra nursing credentials https://www.theepochtimes.com/georgia-midwife-sues-for-right-to-call-herself-midwife_3174991.html Shame! “USC Students Can't Recite the Pledge of Allegiance” - you have no understanding of what enables you to be living such a great life. You’re taking an awful lot for granted. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N9khPhQv8c&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3VMlYIecO0i8DiaaBtWWqN-eHggf1SJe3O8dP_7uejN26cw_sfe0JbePI Kudos! To comedian Ronny Chieng, Malaysian immigrant making a Netflix show about the joys of living in America and how natives don’t appreciate many of the freedoms and privileges we have here https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2019/12/17/Ronny-Chieng-destroys-America-with-a-front-handed-compliment/5811576523296/?ts_fn=1 Too bad we don't have the ‘28th Amendment’ requiring Congress critters to live under the same laws they impose on us. Repeal the Obamacare Congressional exemption now! https://www.politifact.com/facebook-fact-checks/statements/2019/dec/11/facebook-posts/viral-meme-makes-new-constitutional-amendment/ You may have heard that the Second Amendment sanctuary movement is taking Virginia by storm. There are overflow crowds at city and county council meetings. Events are still unfolding. The best source for keeping up with the situation is the Virginia Citizens Defense League website - vcdl.org. At the moment, there are 93 Second Amendment sanctuary cities, towns, and counties. The number is sure to rise because sanctuary resolutions are being considered in two dozen more places.
There was a report that all of this caused the Democrats to abandon plans to introduce an assault weapons ban even though they now control the state legislature and have the Governor’s mansion. However, they modified their proposal to grandfather in existing weapons and want to require them to be registered. Critics say gun registration is the first step to gun confiscation and the Democrats’ new position must still be opposed. The Democrats are also talking about calling out the National Guard to enforce future gun control measures. Governor Ralph Northam said there would be no ‘retaliation’ but did say there would be unspecified ‘consequences’ if law enforcement officers refuse to enforce laws on the books. Legal analysts agreed the Governor could call out the National Guard, but said it would be unprecedented to do so given it would be the first time the National Guard will have been used to enforce laws many see as tyrannical. The Virginia National Guard released a statement saying it would not speculate on the possible use of the National Guard for law enforcement purposes. Other wild talk is flying around. A sheriff in Virginia threatened to deputize thousands of citizens to get around any gun control measures the new Democrat legislature might pass. One of the sanctuary counties passed an additional resolution allowing it to order up a militia to ensure that everyone can own a weapon. One commentator even said the globalists are trying to provoke a civil war and we might see a revolution if authorities try to use deadly force on the populace. So it’s all pretty amazing to watch, especially since I live in Virginia, but there may be less to gun sanctuaries than meets the eye. There is commentary to the effect these sanctuary resolutions are just symbolic. They don’t have any teeth and won’t stop the enforcement of any state or federal gun laws. Unlike illegal immigration sanctuary city laws, the Second Amendment sanctuary measures generally don’t prohibit local government employees from using funds or resources to assist in the enforcement of federal or state gun laws or regulations. Moreover, these measures are generally nonbinding resolutions, not laws at all. So it’s not clear how all this is going to shake out. I just wish there had been this kind of energy all along in Virginia. Then maybe Tea Partiers and others on the political right would not have to wonder what’s in store for us now that our state has gone blue. Finally, if you don’t know why we have the Second Amendment, it’s to prevent tyranny. My Potomac Tea Party made a short video on this last year and it’s still on our Potomac Tea Party website. (Citizens, Give Up Your Guns! - Why We Have the Second Amendment) 2A: Virginia gun-quake leaves Dems quaking in their boots; they abandon plans to introduce assault weapons ban
https://freebeacon.com/issues/virginia-dems-cave-on-confiscation-as-2a-sanctuaries-expand/ 2A: Virginia sheriff threatens to deputize thousands of citizens to get around any gun-control measures the new Democrat legislature might pass https://www.theblaze.com/news/virginia-sheriff-deputize-thousands-of-citizens-to-get-around-gun-control 2A: West Virginia lawmaker introduces bill to hold gun-free zones legally liable for shooting injuries https://wvva.com/news/top-stories/2019/10/14/w-va-delegate-introduces-bill-to-hold-no-gun-zones-legally-liable-for-shooting-injuries/ 2A: use of ghost gun in teen shooting in California shows the futility of gun control: #WhackAMole https://www.yahoo.com/news/teen-used-ghost-gun-california-171408301.html 2A: What restrictions of free speech would you tolerate? - Extreme Risk Protective Order for free speech? One book a month? Banned books for dangerous individuals? Banning "assault magazines" with more than 10 pages? Got the point yet? https://www.facebook.com/therepublicanstandard/?__tn__=%2CdkCH-R-R&eid=ARC_ZLxluWTxMEN4tyO2MX-kwLYP4W7JuMmr6C1vI5GZf0XwohAvqPiJ2Ojj6E_qCASIcsQBa6HxlBDk&hc_ref=ARS3RkmI2KyQtiAMpMGKo4X2G1OUEp9ZMpiKEdT4OxZhtbhITwUa9pl3zWVhf0seX4o&fref=nf&hc_location=group Free Expression: Singapore slaps ‘fake news’ label on posts of government critic under rubric of combatting false information online. #CarefulWhatYouWishFor https://reason.com/2019/12/03/heres-what-happens-when-a-government-demands-a-fake-news-label-on-social-media/ 1A: Supreme Court agrees to hear challenge to Delaware law requiring political balance of the major parties on its courts; small parties object https://www.theepochtimes.com/supreme-court-to-consider-if-states-can-choose-judges-on-party-affiliation_3168612.html 1A: Minnesota woman files suit after being threatened with harassment prosecution for filming zoning violations at her neighborhood mosque https://www.americanfreedomlawcenter.org/press-release/civil-rights-lawsuit-filed-by-grandmother-threatened-with-prosecution-for-filming-mosque-violations/ 1A: religious freedom group appeals U.S. military’s decision to ban religious dog tags https://freebeacon.com/issues/first-amendment-group-appeals-military-ban-on-religious-dog-tags/ 1A: Christian school in Maryland contests exclusion from state school choice program because of its traditional beliefs on marriage despite no actual discrimination on basis of sexual orientation https://reason.com/2019/11/18/was-church-excluded-from-maryland-school-choice-program-because-of-problematic-views-on-marriage/ 1A Religion: judge cites Religious Freedom Restoration Act in acquitting activist who leaves water for illegal migrants in wilderness areas https://www.whio.com/news/local/religious-freedom-law-plays-key-role-migrant-aid-case/xugOKukjBdYqJzI8CgNyyN/ 4A: sister had no authority to consent to a search of her brother’s garbage bags inside her storage unit; evidence (fentanyl) excluded and conviction vacated (1st Circuit) http://media.ca1.uscourts.gov/pdf.opinions/18-1876P-01A.pdf 4A / Due Process: is it reasonable to toss personal items when taking down homeless encampments? 9th Circuit says a class action is not the way to find out. http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2019/11/29/18-35053.pdf 8A: Supreme Court upholds suspension of federal executions pending litigation in lower courts https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/8/supreme-court-refuses-allow-federal-executions-car/ Unenumerated Rights - protect through substantive due process or the Privileges or Immunities clause? https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=rRuMGtH4JkU&feature=emb_logo note this in 9A doc to read 9A: Go from zero to sixty on the Ninth Amendment and unenumerated rights in one short article https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/11/constitution-ninth-amendment-protects-rights-not-listed-in-bill-of-rights/ 1A/Discrimination: deceptively named Equality / Fairness for All Act “expands government power to dictate how individual Americans should think, speak, and act”; free speech and conscience rights threatened in healthcare, public square, school sports, and elsewhere. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/8/democrats-trying-to-thwart-constitution-with-equal/ 14A: Well, this had to happen eventually - lawsuit claims SAT and ACT college admission tests discriminate on the basis of race and wealth https://www.npr.org/2019/12/10/786257347/lawsuit-claims-sat-and-act-are-illegal-in-california-admissions Commerce Clause: federal judge affirms California’s right to dictate meat-production techniques to the other 49 states (‘comply with our rules or don’t sell here’) http://www.jeffersonpolicyjournal.com/agriculture-u-s-constitution-lose-in-california-court/ Kudos! to the U.S. Constitution Scholarship Foundation in Florida for holding free after-school classes on the Constitution to remedy the deficiencies in today’s STEM-heavy high school curriculum https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/12/06/these-founders-aim-to-improve-how-schools-teach-history-and-the-constitution/ Hamilton on impeachment (Federalist Papers #65) - “there will always be the greatest danger that the decision will be regulated more by the comparative strength of parties, than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt.” Understand Clarence Thomas’ jurisprudence and you will understand a lot about the original intent of the Constitution.
In Thomas’ view, the Constitution is as current today as it was when it was drafted in 1787. It is the blueprint for our self-governing Republic where the People are sovereign, not subjects to be ruled. If the Founders had wanted a ‘living, breathing Constitution’, they could simply have copied the British who don’t have a written constitution, Thomas has said. But the Founders chose to have a written Constitution and it was understood at the time that its meaning would not change, except through amendment. Thus, the Founders’ design was ‘perfictible’, as Thomas has put it. This was illustrated by the Civil War amendments that secured the blessings of liberty for former slaves and their progeny. Thomas believes the modern Supreme Court and the other branches of government have deformed the Constitution. He has taken it as his mission to remedy the situation. Thus, he views stare decisis - the doctrine that judges should follow precedent - as being applicable to the lower courts. But Supreme Court Justices must be faithful to the Constitution, not prior cases which should be overturned if they have deviated from our founding documents. This makes Thomas often a minority of one on the Court, but his model is Justice Harlan’s solitary dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson, one of the worst decisions the Supreme Court has ever handed down. The Plessy Court ruled that ‘separate but equal’ satisfied the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection clause, but Harlan’s dissent eviscerated this view and he eventually prevailed. Like Harlan, Thomas is leaving a road map for future Justices - in Thomas’ case, to return to the Founders’ original design. To give one example, the Supreme Court struck down Chicago’s ban on owning handguns in the 2010 McDonald case on the grounds it violated the Second Amendment as applied to the states through the judicially-created ‘substantive due process’ doctrine under the 14th Amendment. Thomas agreed the ban should have been struck down but would have done so on the grounds that the Second Amendment is one of the liberties secured to U.S. citizens against the states by the Privileges or Immunities clause of the 14th Amendment. Thomas views ‘substantive due process’ as made up from whole cloth and as having the unfortunate consequence of letting the Supreme Court create new rights willy-nilly out of thin air. The Court has done on more than one occasion, such as the fundamental federal right to abortion created in Roe v. Wade. The Privileges or Immunities of U.S. citizenship, on the other hand, are relatively more circumscribed and much less subject to judicial mischief. Thomas would like to see previous erroneous Supreme Court rulings overturned, substantive due process scrapped, and the Supreme Court getting back to the original text of the Constitution. Likewise, Thomas views the Supreme Court’s yielding to the New Deal and the consequent expansion of the Commerce Clause and the rise of the administrative state as additional judicial wrong turns that need to be corrected. Those wrong turns have given rise to any number of absurdities like the Montana rancher who dug two ponds on his own land and was imprisoned for supposedly polluting the navigable waterways of the United States. Previous Constitution Minutes have pointed out instances where we are worse off by straying from the Founders’ design - for example, the ill-advised War Powers Act and the turning of the First Amendment proscription against the establishment of an official religion into a quagmire of hard-to-understand distinctions about what constitutes an endorsement of religion and what does not. All originalists owe a debt of gratitude to Justice Thomas for standing for First Principles even when it means standing alone. Gun-Quake in Virginia! 20+ Locales Declare Second Amendment Sanctuaries (Constitution news round-up)12/5/2019
Gun-Quake in Virginia! - 23 locales declare Second Amendment sanctuaries after blue wave election; more expected
https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/20-virginia-counties-2a-sanctuaries/ 2A: less to gun sanctuaries than meets the eye; symbolic resolutions that don’t have any teeth and won’t stop enforcement of state or federal gun laws https://mises.org/wire/second-amendment-sanctuaries-rhetoric-vs-reality 2A: “Olympic Venezuelan Shooter: Banning Guns Is the First Step of Socialism” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lviMNTTPHqo&feature=share Separation of Powers: Financially-interested refugee resettlement agencies sue Trump administration over executive order empowering locales to decline refugees; argue statute only provides for consultation https://wamu.org/story/19/11/26/trump-administration-sued-by-refugee-advocates-over-executive-order/ 1A: No, the n-word is not “obscenity”. Federal judge allows lawsuit by student barred from graduation ceremony for prior use of the word. https://reason.com/2019/11/19/barred-from-participating-in-public-high-school-graduation-for-using-nigger-in-a-tweet/ Free Expression: Merkel’s Muddle - ‘we have to curb free speech or society will no longer be free.’ Huh? Sure, and work is freedom - Sieg Heil! https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/11/stunning-globalist-angela-merkel-to-german-parliament-we-have-to-take-away-your-freedom-of-speech-or-we-wont-be-free/ 4A: Fourth Circuit upholds conviction of sex trafficker whose electronic devices were seized and searched on re-entry through JFK airport; evidence fails ‘border search’ exception but come in under ‘good faith’ exception http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/174109.P.pdf 5A Due Process: authorities did not interfere with terror suspect’s right to travel when they subjected him to advance screening, prolonged questioning, and multiple searches (5th Circuit) https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/18/18-4078.pdf 5A Eminent Domain: legal foundation takes up case where police destroyed house in course of an arrest and denied property owner compensation https://reason.com/2019/12/04/institute-for-justice-takes-up-case-where-federal-court-ruled-government-owes-no-compensation-to-innocent-property-owner-whose-house-was-destroyed-by-police/ 10A: feds object to restrictions on ICE arrests at state courthouses https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/justice-and-dhs-reject-state-restrictions-on-ice-arrests-at-state-courthouses 14A Equal Protection - second challenge filed to California’s gender quota law forcing companies to put women on their boards of directors https://www.theepochtimes.com/businessman-sues-california-over-sex-based-corporate-affirmative-action_3149003.html Discrimination: Texas arrangement to allow death row inmates access to state-employed spiritual advisors just prior to execution discriminates against Buddhists because the state doesn’t employ a Buddhist advisor (5th Circuit). http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/19/19-70020-CV0.pdf Electoral College: “California Dems Flood Colorado With Cash Ahead of National Popular Vote Referendum” https://freebeacon.com/politics/california-dems-flood-colorado-with-cash-ahead-of-national-popular-vote-referendum/ Antifederalists prescient in foreseeing runaway Supreme Court and unchecked expansion of federal power through innocuous language like the ‘general welfare’ and ‘necessary and proper’ clauses https://fee.org/articles/the-antifederalists-were-eerily-prophetic/ Panel discusses the 3 co-equal branches and separation of powers - executive privilege v. congressional oversight, and what should courts decide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDHJfOCUNw4&feature=emb_logo Shame on Mayor Pete for joining the Reconquista! You’re running for President of these United States and you’re pandering to people who don’t want there to be a United States? Good grief! #NotMyPresident https://twitter.com/arthurschwartz/status/1201286673486766080 Kudos to Melania Trump for defending the right of Baltimore teens to boo her https://6abc.com/politics/melania-trump-booed-by-teens-at-baltimore-school/5721909/ |
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