The Study Corner

364 – Parental Notification and a Single Dissent

When should a parent be denied the right to know about the medical procedures performed on their children? Most of us have been rebellious teenagers, sure that our parents are out to get us, only to grow up and realize they were right. When does a teenagers right to liberty supersede the parent’s right to oversee their minor child’s upbringing? These are all questions in the case Doe v. Chapman which was decided in the Eighth Circuit in April, 2022. This decision was appealed to the Supreme Court, which decided the case in March of 2023 with a single justice dissenting. This case turns not only on the questions I’ve already posed, but the procedures of the court.

358 – The Sovereign Citizen Movement

Over the past few weeks I’ve been asked several questions about the “Sovereign Citizen Movement”. What is a “sovereign citizen” or a “national citizen”? What do those in the sovereign citizen movement” believe, what is their belief based on, and does the evidence support their assumptions? What are the consequences of following the recommendations from the movement? I thought it was time to not only dive into the facts of this movement, but to bring my findings to everyone here at The Constitution Study.

354 – Inspector Government

I received an email asking me to “delve into Rental Inspection Programs.” I have to admit, having lived my adult life in rural America and owning my own home for over 30 years, I haven’t had to deal rental inspection programs. While I was researching these programs, I realized they may be just the tip of a truly large iceberg.

353 – Qualified Immunity

Imagine you have immunity for any bad actions you take. You’ve probably heard of diplomatic immunity, where officials of other countries are shielded from prosecution. Then there’s sovereign immunity, when the head of government cannot be charged. But in America, our legal system has come up with the idea of qualified immunity. While the idea of qualified immunity may make sense, like so many other things, it has been badly abused by those in government.
The State of New York is considering legislation that may put the brakes on some of the abuses of qualified immunity. Would this make things better or worse?

349 – Wishful Thinking Going to the Supreme Court

We all indulge in wishful thinking from time to time. What would happen if that wishful thinking made it all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States? That may be just the case with Brunson v. Adams, et al. Mr. Brunson has petitioned the Supreme Court to hear his case against 388 federal officers, including President Biden, Vice President Harris, former Vice President Pence and 385 members of the U.S. House and Senate. Does his case have a constitutional leg to stand on, or is it just wishful thinking?

348 – The Road to Dystopia is Paved with CBDCs

In every dystopian novel or movie I can think of there is either an oppressive government or not functioning government at all. As we travel this road of life, we should be asking ourselves, does this head to more liberty or more control? Take for example Central Bank Digital Currencies, or CBDCs for short. Would this new currency allow Americans more liberty or would it give government more control of our lives. To understand this, we first need to look at what are CBDCs. Then we can look at both sides of this preverbal digital coin and decide for ourselves, do the benefits outweigh the costs.

347 – Grudge Match Between Sexual Orientation and Religious Freedom

I hear this all the time, how does homosexual marriage impact your marriage. This platitude has a small grain of truth, but it only works if you ignore the rest of reality. It’s not that recognizing other marriages changes your own, but how allowance morphs into coercion and then extortion.

For almost a dozen years there’s been a feud between the State of New York’s Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) and New Hope Family Services (New Hope). New Hope was granted a perpetual corporate authorization as an adoption agency by OCFS. However, between January 2011 and November 2013, OCFS created policies and rules that would require that New Hope place children with couple that would violate their religious beliefs. The suit New Hope filed in December of 2018 has been through ups and downs. With the latest court orders, it appears New Hope is currently enjoying the protection of their religious liberty. Will it be challenged again?

346 – The Cost of Constitutional Illiteracy

Here at the Constitution Study, we spend a lot of time discussing the legal and societal cost of ignoring the Constitution. Have you considered the financial costs though? Sure, we all complain about the size of government, usually around tax season. But of the trillions of dollars spent every year, how much of it is spent on unconstitutional government agencies and programs? Let’s take some time and look at the 2023 budget for the government of the United States, see how much is being spent on these agencies that do not legally exist, and consider the costs of our lack of constitutional literacy.