U.S. Constitution News
The Daily Signal provides reporting and analysis on the U.S. Constitution, including court rulings, separation of powers, and the defense of individual rights.
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news
Virginia Gun Control Bills Firing Up Second Amendment Backers
Proposed gun control legislation in the Virginia General Assembly has many Second Amendment advocates in the state literally up in arms, prompting strong pushback from gun rights groups and firearms owners. Groups including the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a pro-Second Amendment nonprofit organization, and the National Rifle Association are taking the lead in opposing enactment… -
opinion
The Media’s Shameful Depiction of Pro-Second Amendment Protests in Virginia
It’s the tea party all over again. Way back in 2009 the press, followed by a gaggle of left-wing commentators and politicians, did a number on tea party protests, often portraying them—with little evidence—as driven by racist rage against President Barack Obama rather than principled opposition to his administration’s policies. These same tactics were on… -
opinion
2019 Ended With Heroic Actions by Lawful Gun Owners
As we enter 2020, lawmakers in several states are gearing up for high-profile fights over gun control legislation that could severely limit the Second Amendment rights of many law-abiding citizens. This makes it all the more critical that we continue to emphasize the important role lawful gun owners play—not just as a long-term protection against… -
opinion
Problematic Women: The Demise of the Women’s March
This Saturday is the fourth annual Women’s March in Washington, D.C.—but it’s not clear that the march will attract many women. We analyze the protest’s history from its strong start in 2017 to its drastic decline. We also talk about states considering legislation to regulate high school transgender athletes. Plus: Our take on “Toy Story… -
opinion
Virginia’s Would-Be Gun Grabbers Likely to Face Blowback
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam apologized for his medical school blackface stunt, but he will have much more to apologize for if he signs into law a bill that attacks Virginia residents’ Second Amendment rights. The measure is Senate Bill 16, which would ban “assault” firearms and certain firearm magazines. Since Democrats have seized control of… -
opinion
11 More Examples of How Firearms Save Gun Owners’ Lives, Property
At a time when some gun control advocates appear intent on painting lawful gun ownership as a danger to society, and the Second Amendment as little more than an outdated protection of a person’s right to hunt, it’s important to remember the regular role armed citizens play in defending inalienable rights. As the Centers for… -
opinion
Supreme Court Should Keep NYC Gun Case in Its Sights
It’s not often that the Supreme Court agrees to hear a Second Amendment case. It’s been nearly 10 years since the last one, despite numerous petitions asking the justices to review state and local government attempts to regulate away the right to keep and bear arms. Last January, however, the justices agreed to review New… -
opinion
Supreme Court to Hear Gun, Obamacare Cases
The Supreme Court will return Monday for oral arguments in what is shaping up to be a blockbuster term. During the high court’s two-week December sitting, the justices will hear arguments in some important cases, including ones regarding the Second Amendment and Obamacare. The justices already have heard arguments in a case involving the Trump… -
opinion
These Law-Abiding People Used Guns to Defend Themselves in October
Far too often, those who disagree with supporters of the Second Amendment about firearm-related policies resort to assertions that we simply care more about our guns than about the lives of innocent people, and that the right to keep and bear arms has little beneficial purpose in modern America. Despite claims by many gun control… -
opinion
Conservative Law Professor Challenges Campus Left on Free Speech (and Wins Them Over)
The family who runs a 130-year-old bakery in Ohio was accused of racism after having an Oberlin College student arrested for shoplifting. Hostilities and boycotts against Gibson’s Bakery escalated into a court case debating free speech. Legal Insurrection, a website on politics and law, has followed this case since its beginnings in 2016. Bill Jacobson, founder… -
opinion
The Students Who Fight for Free Speech, and Win
Free speech has seen better days on the college campus. Increasingly, conservative ideas are unwelcome and even shouted down. At some schools, religious groups are being kicked off campus for not allowing nonbelievers to run their organization. It’s a concerning state of affairs—and yet, many students are pushing back and winning in the courtroom. In… -
opinion
Justices Set to Weigh Fourth Amendment Traffic Stop Case, Trump’s DACA Stop Sign
The Supreme Court returns for oral arguments Monday in a term that already is shaping up to be an exciting one. The justices already have heard arguments in cases involving the insanity defense; whether Title VII’s prohibition on “sex” discrimination covers sexual orientation and gender identity-based discrimination; and the constitutionality of former President Barack Obama’s… -
news
Kentucky Supreme Court Sides With Christian T-Shirt Maker in Free Speech Case
The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday that a printer cannot be forced to print T-shirts that violate his faith. In a case that dragged on for seven years, Blaine Adamson, owner of Hands On Originals, a promotional printer in Lexington, declined to print T-shirts for the Lexington Pride Festival, hosted by the Gay and… -
opinion
California’s Politicians Step Up Their Disregard for Second Amendment
California long has been known as a place where leaders have little regard for the Second Amendment. But the state has outdone itself in recent weeks. First, San Francisco’s city government adopted a resolution condemning the National Rifle Association as a “domestic terrorist organization” for having the audacity to insist that the constitutional rights of… -
opinion
A Campus Free Speech Case Shows How Fragile Liberty Can Be
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution begins: “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech.” Commitment to this freedom, once universally considered fundamental, may be on the rebound. In reviving a lawsuit over the University of Michigan’s censorship code, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit reminded us how… -
opinion
The Gun Grabbers Mislead Us
Gun control did not become politically acceptable until the Gun Control Act of 1968 signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The law’s primary focus was to regulate commerce in firearms by prohibiting interstate firearms transfers except among licensed manufacturers, dealers, and importers. Today’s gun control advocates have gone much further, calling for an… -
news
Border Agents Save Thousand of Lives, Seize More Drugs and Guns
Customs and Border Protection officers rescued nearly 5,000 illegal immigrants from danger, while also greatly increasing the capture of illicit drugs and weapons smuggled into the country at the southwest border, according to numbers for fiscal year 2019 released Tuesday. CBP reported that it seized about 750,000 pounds of illegal drugs. Seizures in every drug category… -
opinion
Why Are the Legacy Media Afraid of Free Speech on Social Media?
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg came to Capitol Hill last week for a House Financial Services Committee hearing where the primary focus was supposed to be to examine Facebook’s proposed cryptocurrency, Libra. But the hearing quickly went far afield. Many of the representatives were eager to push the Facebook founder into getting into the business… -
opinion
The Left’s Dangerous Assault on Free Speech
Strange days, indeed, when America’s free press opposes free speech. “Free speech is killing us,” headlined a New York Times op-ed. Its author, New Yorker staff writer Andrew Marantz, argued that “hate speech” leads to violence. Worse, he claims it can cause totalitarianism and even genocide. To avoid this fate, Marantz says we must rethink the First Amendment, which would include government…