The Supreme Court Infringes on the 2nd Amendment. Again.

The Supreme Court has once again chipped away at the 2nd Amendment. In a recent Supreme Court ruling, the court unanimously ruled in favor of broadening federal regulation of firearms under the guise of punishing perpetrators of domestic violence. This ruling is being heralded as a victory by gun grabbers everywhere, including those in the…

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The Massachusetts Personal Liberty Law of 1855: Lessons for Today

After an infamous Supreme Court opinion which claimed that the Federal Fugitive Slave Act precluded a Pennsylvania state law that prohibited blacks from being taken out of Pennsylvania into slavery, the state of Massachusetts passed a personal liberty law on May 21, 1855. This law made it illegal for any state or local government official to…

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Hold Your Nose and Vote for the Other Guy? No way.

Near the end of the Republican nominating process in 2012, I heard a lot of people commanding that Ron Paul supporters simply “hold their collective noses, and get in line to vote for Romney (or McCain) to prevent some Democrat (who’s policy plans are identical in all but size) from claiming the White-house and ending…

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Michigan Action Alert: Support HB5420, the 4th Amendment Protection Act

On Mar. 20, Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester) introduced HB5420 to prevent state cooperation with warrantless spying and personal data collection by the NSA and other federal agencies. (learn more about it here) It was referred to the Judiciary Committee where it will need to pass through a majority before it can be considered for a…

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Thoughts on McGinnis and Rappaport’s “Originalism and the Good Constitution”, Part 2

This post continues my thoughts on Originalism and the Good Constitution by John McGinnis and Michael Rappaport (part 1 is here). One of the most important parts of Originalism and the Good Constitution is methodological rather than normative.  In Chapter 7, the authors argue that original meaning depends not just on the original meaning of the words themselves but on…

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