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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- Opinion
Obama’s Executive Actions on Guns Are All Politics
The controversial measures President Barack Obama announced will likely face constitutional challenges in the courts, but it’s already clear they won’t be effective. The main executive action Obama announced that raises legal questions is about defining who must register as a licensed gun dealer and who does not have to register. The president has some, but…Genevieve Wood -
- Opinion
Conservatives React to Obama’s Speech on Guns
Throughout President Barack Obama’s speech today on his new executive orders on guns, conservatives tweeted their responses. Here are some of their top tweets: Obama lists Fort Hood and San Bernardino terror attacks as examples of gun violence. Disgusting #StopGunViolence — Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) January 5, 2016 "Every single year, more than 30,000 Americans have…Katrina Trinko -
- Opinion
Obama’s Executive Fiat on Gun Control
Frustrated by his inability to bend Congress to his will, President Barack Obama has once more picked up his trusty pen and phone and issued a series of “executive actions” on gun control. While there may be a budgetary impact, several (but not all) of the president’s proposals are not controversial from a legal standpoint,…John G. Malcolm -
- News
GOP Lawmakers Take on Obama’s Executive Gun Control Push
Republican lawmakers hit back on President Barack Obama’s plans to unveil a series of executive actions this week aimed at tightening gun laws. Ahead of Obama’s meeting Monday with top law enforcement officials to finalize expanded gun control measures, House Speaker Paul Ryan called the president’s extent of executive overreach “dangerous.” “While we don’t yet…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
This Judge Tried to Limit a Former Pastor’s Free Speech
A district court judge in Mecosta County, Mich. has ordered a former pastor, Keith Eric Wood, to be arrested for felony obstruction of justice and misdemeanor jury tampering. His crime? Wood distributed a pamphlet (available here) on jury rights and jury nullification—when a jury believes the defendant is guilty but returns a “Not Guilty” verdict…John-Michael Seibler -
- Opinion
What the Gift of a Gun for Christmas Taught a 9-Year-Old Boy
Say what you want about the conservative, churchgoing Grahams of Lexington County, S.C., but we knew how to cut loose for Christmas. Growing up in the Deep South, I never had the pleasure of a white one, of course. But what we southerners lack in snowfall, we make up for in lard. And sugar. And…Michael Graham -
- News
What You Need to Know About Obama’s Plan to Bypass Congress on Guns
Stymied by Republicans in Congress, President Barack Obama is expected to act alone to take executive action to tighten restrictions on gun sales. White House adviser Valerie Jarrett, speaking at a vigil last week for victims of the 2012 Newtown, Conn., shooting, confirmed that the president has asked his staff to complete a proposal that…Josh Siegel -
- News
As Obama, GOP Spar Over Gun Control and No-Fly List, What You Need to Know
In one of his calls to action for Congress after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., President Barack Obama urged lawmakers to pass legislation preventing suspected terrorists on the no-fly list from buying guns. So far, Republicans have voted down this proposal, just as they have rejected other gun control measures. While Obama and…Josh Siegel -
- News
NRA Executive: Second Amendment Rights Not to Blame for San Bernardino
President Obama shouldn’t blame the National Rifle Association or Second Amendment freedoms for the mass murder in San Bernardino, an NRA executive says. “Just when we think that politics can’t sink any lower, President Obama once again proves us wrong by politicizing the tragedy in San Bernardino before the facts were even known,” Chris W….Leah Jessen -
- News
College Student Takes a Stand Against Campus Free Speech Policy, Sues School
A student at an Arizona community college is challenging her school’s so-called “speech zone,” arguing the policy “severely limited” her right to free speech and due process. Brittany Mirelez, a freshman at Paradise Valley Community College in Maricopa County, Ariz., was kicked out of the designated speech zone in October for failing to obtain permission…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
This Top Democrat Vows to Push New Gun Controls in 2016
One of the Senate’s top Democrats has promised to renew a push to pass sweeping gun control legislation in 2016. At an event sponsored by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced that Senate Democrats will “bring a universal background check bill to the floor of the Senate early next…Philip Wegmann -
- News
Farmer Turned Property Rights Activist Presses Court Fight With Green Group, Realtors
Virginia environmentalists and big landowners have made a concerted effort to interfere with the business activities of an organic farmer, claims a new lawsuit describing harassment that comes close to stalking. Martha Boneta, who owns and operates the 64-acre Liberty Farm at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Paris, Va., seeks damages in…Kevin Mooney -
- Opinion
Is There a Gun Violence Epidemic? The Numbers Say No
The recent mass shooting in Oregon has brought the seemingly endless debate on gun control back into the national spotlight. Are we, as some insist, in the midst of a gun violence crisis? Gun control advocates would certainly have you think so. Rolling Stone magazine has an entire section on its website dedicated to gun violence…Jason Snead -
- News
Oregon County Passes Initiative Allowing Sheriff to Void Gun Control Laws If He Thinks They’re Unconstitutional
Nearly a month after a tragic mass shooting shook Umpqua Community College, a rural Oregon county roughly two hours west of the school passed a measure directing the sheriff to bypass state and federal gun laws if he judges them unconstitutional. Coos County residents smoothly approved the Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance on Tuesday with more than…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
Lawmakers Need to Kill EPA’s and Corps’ Water Rule: Property Rights Are at Stake
Congress appears to be stepping up to the plate to kill the Environmental Protection Agency’s and Army Corps of Engineers’ water rule (known as the “waters of the United States” or WOTUS rule). Lawmakers just need to bring it home by sending legislation to the president. In doing so, Congress will be protecting Americans from environmental regulatory…Daren Bakst -
- Opinion
Why Did the Environmental Protection Agency Spend $1.4 Million on Guns?
Even those of us who have worked in Washington for many years and become accustomed to the inner workings of government can still be amazed by what lurks behind the curtain sometimes. Case in point: the Environmental Protection Agency. Most Americans have at least heard of the EPA, even if they have only a dim notion…Ed Feulner -
- News
These Gun Control Activists Showed Up at the White House With a Tough Message for Obama
A new activist group rallied in front of the White House Saturday morning, demanding executive and legislative action on gun control from the president and Congress. Inspired by President Barack Obama’s lament this month that gun violence “has become routine” and frustrated by government inaction, Faith Elizabeth Grant founded the group A New Routine For…Philip Wegmann -
- News
Obama Considering Executive Order to Ramp Up Background Checks on Gun Customers
President Barack Obama is deliberating an executive order that would escalate background check requirements in a revived gun control push following the deadly shootings at Umpqua Community College last week. The proposed measure would enable the president to sidestep Congress to require anyone who surpasses a set number of gun sales to acquire a federal…Natalie Johnson -
- News
Senate Democrats Scheme How to Force Gun Control Vote
In the week after the mass shooting in Roseburg, Ore., Senate Democrats gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to demand stricter gun control and unveil their comprehensive policy package to achieve it. Frustrated by the inaction of Republicans and hamstrung by a lack of votes, the group of more than two dozen Senate…Philip Wegmann -
- News
NY Times Report: Number of Oregon Natives Want Guns After Massacre
The tragedy at Umpqua Community College in Oregon has reignited the national gun debate. Unlike President Barack Obama, who called for stricter gun control, The New York Times reports that many residents of Roseburg, Ore., “want to have a gun.” Passion and tension have gripped the nation as Americans fight for what they believe would be…Sara Jones