Articles by Hans von Spakovsky

LawCommentary

College Subsidies for Illegal Immigrants Get Their Day in Court

Hans von Spakovsky | November 04, 2016

A few weeks ago, we reported on a lawsuit in California brought by a resident and taxpayer against the Board of Regents of the University… Read More

 SocietyCommentary

Federal Judge Asks Why Obama Administration Isn’t Admitting Christian Syrian Refugees

Hans von Spakovsky | October 27, 2016

In an otherwise unremarkable opinion over the federal Freedom of Information Act, a federal appellate court judge has issued a sharp rejoinder to the Obama… Read More

LawCommentary

Californian’s Fight Against Illegal College Subsidies for Illegal Immigrants Heads to Court

Hans von Spakovsky | October 24, 2016

The next front in the battle over in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants will play out in a California appeals court on Nov. 3 in… Read More

LawCommentary

Exxon Mobil Fights the Abusive Behavior of Democrat Attorney General’s Climate Inquisition

Hans von Spakovsky | October 21, 2016

Exxon Mobil Corp. is fighting back against New York’s Democrat attorney general who is demanding decades’ worth of documents about the company’s position on global… Read More

PoliticsCommentary

The All-Out Assault on the First Amendment

Hans von Spakovsky | October 12, 2016

The Constitution has long been subject to attacks from individuals hostile to its guarantees of freedom, economic opportunity, and limited government, but in recent days… Read More

 LawCommentary

When Zombies, Aliens, and Felons Steal Our Votes

Hans von Spakovsky | October 07, 2016

People may expect zombies to be wandering the streets on Halloween, but they certainly don’t expect them to start casting ballots a week later. Yet… Read More

LawCommentary

This Judge’s Decision Was Wrong: It’s Not Racist to Not Have Straight-Ticket Voting

Hans von Spakovsky | September 22, 2016

Is a right to straight-ticket (also known as straight-party) voting guaranteed under the Constitution or the Voting Rights Act? Any ninth-grader who has taken a… Read More

LawCommentary

In Historic Move, Virginia Legislators File Contempt Motion Against McAuliffe Over Felon Voting

Hans von Spakovsky | August 31, 2016

Virginia state legislators have filed a motion with the Virginia Supreme Court asking for an order requiring Gov. Terry McAuliffe to “show cause” why he… Read More

LawCommentary

Judges Put Election Reforms in Wisconsin on Hold, Except for Voter ID

Hans von Spakovsky | August 23, 2016

On Monday, a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused without comment to stay a Wisconsin district court opinion in One… Read More

LawCommentary

Texas Gets the Best Deal It Could With DOJ on Voter ID for the Election

Hans von Spakovsky | August 10, 2016

It looks as if Texas, the Justice Department, and all of the other parties, including the NAACP, involved in the challenge to the state’s voter… Read More

LawCommentary

Presidential Abuse of Pardoning and Clemency Power Must Be Curbed

Hans von Spakovsky | July 29, 2016

Those of us concerned over President Barack Obama’s excessive use of his power under Art. II, §2, Cl. 1 of the Constitution to grant pardons… Read More

 SocietyCommentary

When Assisted Suicide Becomes Coercive

Hans von Spakovsky | July 28, 2016

Even the best intentions cannot reverse the insidious effects of a wrong policy. When those who advocate for assisted suicide cite a benevolent desire to… Read More

LawCommentary

Obama’s Amnesty Plan Effectively Struck Down

Hans von Spakovsky | June 23, 2016

In a 4-4 split vote, the Supreme Court has affirmed the judgment of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld the preliminary injunction issued… Read More

LawCommentary

Supreme Court Upholds Race-Based Discrimination in College Admissions

Hans von Spakovsky | June 23, 2016

The Supreme Court issued its disappointing decision in Abigail Fisher’s case on Thursday against the University of Texas at Austin. In an opinion by Justice… Read More

LawCommentary

Taking Away Constitutional Rights at the Discretion of the Government

Hans von Spakovsky | June 20, 2016

If the news reports are correct, the latest “gun control” proposal being put forward by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is a “measure that would block… Read More

LawCommentary

Latest Assault on Religious Freedom: Illinois Abortion Bill Restricts Doctors and May Violate Federal Law

Hans von Spakovsky | June 13, 2016

In the latest assault on the First Amendment right of Americans to freely exercise their religious beliefs, the Illinois Legislature has passed a bill that… Read More

LawCommentary

DOJ Wants to Hide the Names of Illegal Aliens Granted Amnesty

Hans von Spakovsky | June 02, 2016

The Justice Department is resisting a judge’s order to provide ethics training for its lawyers and is objecting to turning over to the court the… Read More

LawCommentary

Senators to AG: Stop Targeting Opponents of Obama’s Energy Policies

Hans von Spakovsky | May 27, 2016

On Thursday, five U.S. senators sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch demanding that she stop using Justice Department “law enforcement resources to stifle… Read More

 Analysis

The Zombie Voter Apocalypse: California Refuses to Admit Its Voter Fraud Problem

Hans von Spakovsky | May 26, 2016

Hollywood has always loved making films about the walking dead, but in Southern California it appears they have a real life problem with “zombie” voters…. Read More

LawAnalysis

Obama Administration Loses Key Obamacare Case

Hans von Spakovsky | May 12, 2016

A federal district court in Washington, D.C., ruled Thursday in favor of the U.S. House of Representatives’ challenge to the Obama administration’s implementation of part… Read More

LawCommentary

Liberal Activists Worked With AGs to Target Conservatives

Hans von Spakovsky | May 05, 2016

In Ray Bradbury’s classic dystopian novel, “Fahrenheit 451,” a future society criminalizes the possession of books and burns them in order to suppress any dissenting… Read More

EnergyCommentary

Victim of AGs’ Climate Change Inquisition Fights Back

Hans von Spakovsky | April 22, 2016

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) has launched a fierce counter-attack against Claude Walker, the attorney general for the Virgin Islands, who recently served a subpoena… Read More

LawCommentary

Judge Ignores Federal Law and Allows Sandy Hook Gun Case to Proceed

Hans von Spakovsky | April 18, 2016

There is no doubt that what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 12, 2012, was a horrible event and a terrible tragedy for… Read More

LawCommentary

The Left’s Climate Inquisition’s New Target

Hans von Spakovsky | April 08, 2016

In a truly outrageous abuse of his authority and a misuse of the law, the attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Claude E. Walker,… Read More

LawCommentary

Supreme Court Got It Wrong: Noncitizens Shouldn’t Be Counted

Hans von Spakovsky | April 05, 2016

In a loss for voters, the Supreme Court has ruled unanimously against two residents of Texas who had argued that the Texas legislature diluted their… Read More

EnergyCommentary

16 Democrat AGs Begin Inquisition Against ‘Climate Change Disbelievers’

Hans von Spakovsky | April 04, 2016

Beginning in 1478, the Spanish Inquisition systematically silenced any citizen who held views that did not align with the king’s. Using the powerful arm of… Read More

LawCommentary

State Department Loses Another Round in the Clinton Email Fiasco

Hans von Spakovsky | March 29, 2016

In a second loss in less than two weeks, a federal court has once again ruled against the Obama administration, this time in a Freedom… Read More

LawAnalysis

Big Brother Bullies Little Sisters at the Supreme Court

Hans von Spakovsky | March 23, 2016

The plaza of the U.S. Supreme Court and the courtroom itself were full of people you don’t normally see at the court—priests, ministers, and nuns… Read More

LawCommentary

Why Race Wasn’t Behind Virginia Redistricting Plan

Hans von Spakovsky | March 22, 2016

The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in a congressional redistricting case that involves the complicated issues that arise under the Voting Rights Act and the… Read More

LawCommentary

Noncitizen Voting Case Pits Justice Department Against States That Require Proof of Citizenship

Hans von Spakovsky | March 15, 2016

The free-for-all boxing match among the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, Kansas, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)… Read More