Last week, I appeared on the Scott Horton show to discuss six new laws that went into effect August 1. Four of these laws nullify specific federal acts in practice, and two others that went on the books placing significant roadblocks in the way of some federal programs. During the show, Scott and I talked…
That’s right: the Federal Reserve is now in the business of enforcing the U.S. government’s drug laws, even if that means making a mockery of both state governments’ right to set their own drug policies and the Fed’s own governing statutes.
With the Supreme Court saving Obamacare’s hide yet again, what does its decision and the actions of the administration in implementing the law mean for Congress’s authority to write legislation? More fundamentally, what do they mean for the constitutional system itself. From the beginning, Obamacare has been riddled with dubious political moves by both the executive…
Oblivious to what lies ahead, we’ve been manipulated into believing that if we continue to consume, obey, and have faith, things will work out.
One of the most common complaints of constitutionalists against the conduct of our federal government is that the judiciary at all levels routinely oversteps its boundaries, intruding into those areas that are beyond its constitutional reach. Though this is largely accepted by most Americans because of its long practice, this does not mean that what…
Even though it is true that the government currently bans all kinds of things, I am asking a serious question. Let me expand and clarify it. Is the federal government authorized by the Constitution to make illegal the possession of any substance that it deems it to be harmful, hazardous, immoral, addictive, threatening, damaging, injurious,…
SPARKS, Nev. (Aug. 4, 2015) – Nevada’s first medical marijuana dispensary opened last Friday, representing another step toward nullifying the federal ban on cannabis in practice in the Silver State. Nevada legalized marijuana for medical use more than a decade ago, but it wasn’t until 2013 that the legislature passed a bill allowing dispensaries to…
At Opinio Juris, Julian Ku defends the constitutionality of the Iran deal (expanding on his discussion in this podcast from the National Constitution Center [also featuring David Rivkin]). He makes two arguments: First, the terms of the agreement, which describe its obligations as “voluntary”, indicate that it is a nonbinding “political commitment”. Even the UN Security…
BISMARCK, N.D. (Aug. 1, 2015) – Today, a North Dakota law authorizing the farming, production, and sale of industrial hemp in the state goes into effect, nullifying in practice the federal prohibition on the same. Introduced by Reps. David Monson (R-10) and Alan Fehr (R-36) along with Sen. Tom Campbell (R-19), House Bill 1436 (HB1436) passed…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (July 31, 2015) – Tomorrow, a Minnesota law goes into effect that places strict limits on the use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) by law enforcement in the state. It also places significant roadblocks in the way of a federal program using states to help track the location of millions of everyday…