Author: Paul Engel
Like many of you, I am a product of the public schools. Like many of you I thought the Constitution was for lawyers and judges. One day I read the Constitution, and was surprised to find I didn't need a law degree to understand it. Then I read the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers and even the Anti-Federalist Papers. As I learned more and more about our founding fathers and documents I saw how little we know about how our country was designed to work and how many people just didn't care. I started The Constitution Study to help those who also want read and study our Constitution.
Constitution Study Q&A
This week I will be in Grand Forks, ND. If I can get al the technology to work, you will be joining me in front of a live audience!
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277 – California v. Texas
I have written before about the constitutional problems with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, (known as ObamaCare), not to mention the Supreme Court’s repeated machinations to make it appear to be legal. But recent case that the court declined to hear shows just how corrupt and untrustworthy these black robed oligarchs are.
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276 – Vulgar Free Speech
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
“The Friends of Voltaire” by S. G. Tallentyre (Evelyn Beatrice Hall)
This quote has been the cry of free speech advocates for decades. But how is society to treat those, especially minors, who violate the standards of speech considered acceptable in public? In the case Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., the question is, what are the legitimate actions of public schools in disciplining the vulgar speech of students. In its opinion, the Supreme Court illegitimately applied the First Amendment to state actors, but that is nothing new. By far the most interesting part of the opinion is the role the justices believe schools have in parenting children. And you may be surprised by what the lone dissenter in this case said regarding the subject.
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275 – A GRIMM View of Truth
Does truth matter? I know, many people claim truth is personal, that you have your truth and I have mine. But can a society survive without a recognition of objective truth? The Supreme Court recently declined to hear a case out of the Fourth Circuit that revolved around a simple question. Is truth defined by what is or what people think?
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274 – A California Takings Case
Earlier this year I wrote A Taking, or Not A Taking, that is the Question about the oral arguments in the case of Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid. The Supreme Court has rendered its opinion, so now is the time for a review. If you’ve read many of my case reviews you probably won’t be surprised that the court came to the right answer but for the wrong reasons.
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273 – Adoption in the Keystone State
What is the role of government in enforcing societal norms? Does the state have the legal power to force compliance with its preferred worldview? A religious freedom case pitting the city of Philadelphia against Catholic Social Services has had its day at the Supreme Court. While the court correctly found for Catholic Social Services, the details prove that judges and lawyers at all levels have a serious comprehension problems when it comes to reading the Constituiton of the United States.
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Constituition Study Q&A – July 8, 2021
This week we had a great discussion covering court packing, Biden’s vaccine push, and the Louisana Purchase.
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