Commentary
320 – Scott & Korematsu – Two Cases That Show the Corruption of the Court
There are certain Supreme Court cases that are infamous, either for their import or their error. Miranda, Roe v. Wade, and Obergefell are just a few. Two of these cases are known simply as Dred Scot and Koramatsu. These cases are not only examples of when the courts get things wrong, but of our nature to treat others as less than human.
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7 Examples of Checks and Balances in the Constitution – UpJourney
What are the checks and balances in the Constitution? What does it entail? How does it work? Read more in the UpJourney article I contributed to.
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314 – Redress of Grievances
The First Amendment prohibits Congress from passing laws that abridge your right to petition the government for a redress of grievance. Yet not only has Congress ignored that restriction on their actions, but the federal courts have piled on as well. Today, I will look at what the right to petition means, how that has been violated, and what the American people can do about it.
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311 – Limitations on Foreclosure
We all recognize that property can be foreclosed on for failure to pay a tax debt. What happens when the value of the foreclosure is greater than the debt owed? A case out of Michigan, recently appealed to the Sixth Circuit, seeks redress for just such situations. Eight citizens of Oakland County Michigan are suing the county for, among other things, taking property worth far more than the tax debt owed, then not reimbursing them the difference. Is this an illegal taking, or a deprivation of property without due process? Or could it simply be a scheme to defraud both the homeowners and taxpayers of Oakland County?
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309 – Are We Witnessing a Southern Invasion?
A reader sent me an email about the influx of illegal aliens on our souther border. The question of whether or not this constituted an invasion and thereby requiring a response by the federal government under Article IV, Section 4 is one worth taking a closers look at. Not only the question of does this constitute an invasion, but what are the consequences of such a point of view?
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308 – Can States Rein in the Federal Government?
With all of the unconstitutional laws, executive orders, and regulations coming out of Washington, D.C. lately, people often wonder, what can be done. An out of control federal government was nothing new in America. At the end of the 18th century, two of our Founding Fathers wrote about keeping the federal government in check. Let’s look at how these two men expected the states to rein in the federal government.
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307 – State of the First Amendment Survey
I got the idea for the Constitution Study while listening to a podcast reporting on the 2013 State of the First Amendment Survey. While the First Amendment Center has issued a survey since 2019, based on what I’ve been seeing lately, it is still worth investigating. Let’s roll back the clock a few years, look at the state of the First Amendment, then see if it is healthier in 2022 than it was in 2019?
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306 – Republican Form of Government
We keep hearing about threats to America’s democracy. Occasionally I’ll hear someone point out that the United States is not a democracy, but a republic. How many Americans know the difference? And just what are the responsibilities of the federal government to protect that republican for of government?
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