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
In Big Win for Free Speech, Federal Court Rules That Beauty Pageant Need Not Include Transgender ‘Female’
File this one under “outcomes we could have predicted.” A federal court last week determined that a beauty pageant association could exclude a transgender “female” (i.e., a male) from participating in one of its contests. The decision Wednesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit was a major win for the First…Sarah Parshall Perry -
- Opinion
Why This Graphic Artist Took Her Free Speech Case to Supreme Court
Colorado graphic artist Lorie Smith doesn’t want to be forced to create wedding websites for same-sex couples. “I’ve always been creative, I’ve always wanted to design for weddings, and I want to design and create for weddings in a way that’s consistent with God’s view of marriage,” Smith says. Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Judge Blocks New York’s Ban on Guns in Church—for Now
A federal judge last week stopped New York state officials from enforcing the part of a new gun law that bans firearms from places of worship, at least temporarily. The Oct. 20 ruling is a small but important Second Amendment victory for New Yorkers and advocates of self-defense in a state that largely has been…Nicole Russell -
- News
Website Designer 303 Creative’s Case Before High Court Pits Free Speech vs. Gay Rights
The Supreme Court will rule “at least 7-2 in favor of 303 Creative,” Notre Dame Law School professor Sherif Girgis predicts. Girgis joined a panel discussion Oct. 25 with lawyers Kristen Waggoner and David Cole that turned into a civil debate at the National Archives in Washington, discussing the future of the pending free speech…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Yes, Democrats, Sometimes a ‘Good Guy With a Gun’ Does ‘Stop the Bad Guys.’ Here’s Proof.
In a press conference defending the state’s new restrictions on concealed carry permit holders, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, told reporters last month: “This whole concept that a good guy with a gun will stop the bad guys with a gun, it doesn’t hold up. And the data bears this out, so that…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
Free Speech vs. Banning Jews
The University of California, Berkeley is known for many things, some good and some very bad, even outrageous. In 1964, a ban on campus political and religious activities launched what was called the free speech and academic freedom movement that quickly spread to other campuses. To many of an older generation, it quickly got out of hand….Cal Thomas -
- News
Mark Houck Attorney: Garland Must Explain to Family Why Their Father Was Arrested by Men With Guns
When Republicans question Attorney General Merrick Garland on the shocking arrest of a Catholic father, Mark Houck’s lawyer wants the Houck family to be in the front row. Peter Breen, an attorney with the Thomas More Society representing Houck, told The Daily Signal in a phone interview that the Justice Department sent “20-plus heavily armed…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- Opinion
Second Amendment Isn’t About Deer in Kevlar Vests, Mr. President, as These 11 Incidents Show
President Joe Biden’s most recent speech on gun control showed, once again, that he has little respect for gun owners or the Second Amendment. Consider, for example, where Biden mocked (and not for the first time) gun owners as being afraid of “deer in Kevlar vests” simply because they want to defend themselves and their…Amy Swearer -
- News
‘Ripe for Abuse’: Sen. Hawley Slams Credit Card Companies Over Gun-Related Purchase Change
A Republican senator is calling on three major credit companies to reverse course after announcing new policies that would distinguish firearm-related purchases from other retail purchases, according to a letter sent Tuesday. “I write to express serious concern with your decision to separately categorize gun-related purchases from other retail transactions made with your payment cards…Samantha Aschieris -
- Opinion
Free Speech May Improve Your Mental Health, Psychologist Says
In a world of “safe spaces” and politically correct speech, clinical psychologist Chloe Carmichael says she believes that society needs more free speech, not less. Free speech can help individuals grow and learn as they explore and debate ideas with others, Carmichael says, adding that it even improves anxiety and depression. “I think that stopping…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
The 5 Most Unserious Things Biden Said in His Gun Control Speech
President Joe Biden recently gave a speech in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, touting his “Safer America Plan” and a gun control bill he had signed into law. For many American gun owners, these speeches on preventing gun violence so obviously have become stump speeches for gun control that they no longer tune in, unable to bear cringey…Amy Swearer -
- News
Jewish Group to Sue New York for Banning Guns in Houses of Worship
The New York State Jewish Gun Club plans to sue New York for banning firearms in places of worship, calling it “unconstitutional” in an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation. Tzvi Waldman, the founder of the New York State Jewish Gun Club, is working with a civil rights attorney to challenge a provision of…Justine Brooke Murray -
- Opinion
In Canada, Free Speech Is Under Fire. America, Take Heed.
When Americans consider Canada, they probably think of maple syrup and funny accents. They should start thinking about alarming amounts of authoritarianism. What has been jokingly referred to as “America’s hat” has been going through a rough patch recently when it comes to protecting its citizens’ fundamental liberties. And next on the chopping block…Douglas Blair -
- Opinion
Guns of Washington: 5 Agencies With Gun Stockpiles
“A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty.”—James Madison Conspiracy theories sometimes have at least a thread of truth in them, which is what makes them valid to some on the far right. One of those theories is that the federal government is not on their side….Cal Thomas -
- Opinion
These 11 Defensive Gun Uses Show Protective Benefits of Second Amendment
I testified before Congress’ Joint Economic Committee last month in a hearing focused on “the economic toll of gun violence.” Of course, there’s no doubt that gun violence imposes a tremendous cost on society, both financially and in far less readily calculable ways. How does one measure, for example, the mental and emotional toll of…Amy Swearer -
- News
4 Facts About IRS Gun Arsenal
Some of the 87,000 new agents whom Democrats propose to hire at the Internal Revenue Service could come with some extra firepower. On Friday, House Democrats gave final passage to the tax and spending bill they dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act, which, among other things, would double the size of the IRS with 87,000 new…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Meet the California Gun Law That Copies the Texas Heartbeat Law’s Unique Feature
Well, we can’t say we weren’t warned. In keeping a promise he made last year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom just signed a bill modeled on the Texas heartbeat law. Their unique feature? Both laws seek to evade pre-enforcement judicial review by eliminating the power of state officials to enforce the law. Both the California and…Sarah Parshall Perry -
- Opinion
Law-Abiding Gun Owners Will Not Harm You. But Criminals Will.
There have been innumerable debates on gun ownership. These discussions generally address two critical factors: gun violence in inner cities and mass shootings. As a result, some Americans have called for the removal of certain weapons, such as the AR-15, from civilian ownership, and the limitation of magazines to 10 rounds as a means to…Armstrong Williams -
- Opinion
Second Amendment Protects Everyone, as 12 Examples of Defensive Gun Use Show
The Supreme Court in June struck down a New York law that effectively prohibited ordinary citizens from carrying handguns in public for self-defense. As some New Yorkers joined gun control activists in decrying the decision as making them less safe, one young woman explained how, for her, the high court’s opinion meant she was one…Amy Swearer -
- News
Heritage Foundation Files Ethics Complaint Against Lawmaker for Smearing Expert Witness on Gun Control
The Heritage Foundation filed an ethics complaint Wednesday against Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., who last month accused a Second Amendment expert with the Washington-based think tank of lying to Congress about the contents of firearms legislation. In the complaint filed with the Office of Congressional Ethics, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts accuses Porter of “knowingly and…Fred Lucas