In an interview Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, dismissed the idea of religious exemptions for abortion. Hallie Jackson, senior Washington correspondent for NBC News, asked Harris what kind of concessions she would be willing to make with a hypothetical Republican-majority Congress in order to pass legislation protecting abortion if she wins…
The threat to our First Amendment right of free speech is growing. College campuses continue to embrace progressive policies that restrict students’ ability to voice their opinions and beliefs. Lawyer and First Amendment expert Harmeet Dhillon joins “Problematic Women” to discuss free speech in America and her view of feminism. Listen to the podcast below…
President Joe Biden already has taken action to undo some of the pro-life policies set in place by his predecessor, Donald Trump. It appears likely that Biden and the Democrat-controlled Congress will continue to press a progressive abortion agenda that endangers the unborn, mothers, and American freedoms. Melanie Israel, a Heritage Foundation research associate in…
A potential San Francisco ballot proposal could give illegal immigrants a voice in Bay Area schools. A charter amendment by San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar is intended to grant illegal immigrants with children in school the right to vote in San Francisco Unified School District school board elections. Two similar measures were presented in the…
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court delivered a win for the Sixth Amendment right to counsel in Luis v. United States. Five justices—Justice Stephen Breyer, who wrote a plurality opinion joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, and Justice Clarence Thomas, who wrote a separate concurring opinion—sided with challenger…
Democrats pushing for a constitutional amendment that would give government the authority to regulate political spending by outside groups will do so without one traditional ally at their side. In a letter submitted Tuesday to the Senate Judiciary Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union expressed opposition to the amendment, saying it would “lead directly to…
This op-ed is part of a series exploring the writings and jurisprudence of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the president’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. As the Senate Judiciary Committee holds confirmation hearings this week for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, it’s a good time to take a…
Did George Washington in his first act as president violate the first principle soon to be enshrined in the First Amendment? Did the Congress that approved the First Amendment compel him to do so? On April 7, 1789, three weeks before Washington was inaugurated, the Journal of the Senate reported that the Senate had ordered…
With the Supreme Court on summer recess, it’s time to review the biggest cases of the October 2013 docket. SCOTUSblog’s “Stat Pack” notes that the Court this term had a high degree of unanimity and a relative lack of 5-4 decisions. But by margins both large and small, the court issued a number of important cases….
Courts are increasingly asked to “apply long-standing First Amendment principles to somewhat novel facts” involving digital social media. They have performed this task often—if not well—in recent cases such as NetChoice v. Paxton, Murthy v. Missouri, and Anderson v. TikTok. The mixed lessons from these efforts were on display in the latest installment in this juridical…
There's a new frontier for pro-abortion activists post-Roe v. Wade: constitutional amendments that can circumvent state laws and flout even the most pro-life of governors. And with some of the weakest requirements in the country for passing constitutional amendments, Ohio has become the latest battleground. In just a week, on Aug. 8, Ohioans will vote…
As the Supreme Court returns to hearing oral arguments this week, it will take up a technical—yet consequential—criminal law case. In United States v. Hemani, the justices will consider whether 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3), which bars anyone “who is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” from “possess[ing] … any firearm or…
The Sixth Amendment has long guaranteed a criminal defendant the right “to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.” But what does that right entail in practice—particularly when a defendant takes the witness stand in his own defense? And by taking the witness stand, what limitations, if any, exist with respect to his right…
Say goodbye to a certain kind of extended family. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, wants to close loopholes in the farm bill to stop lining the pockets of remote landowners and guarantee that working farmers and their immediate families get the government subsidies they are eligible to receive. Grassley, in a speech Monday at The Heritage Foundation,…
Religious freedom is a fundamental right guaranteed by our Constitution and must be protected. Sadly, the same-sex marriage bill facing a Senate vote on Monday puts that freedom in danger for people of faith and religious schools, adoption agencies, and nonprofits. Writing in the Deseret News recently, University of Virginia law professor Douglas Laycock attempts…
In 2007, Massachusetts passed a law that prohibited anyone from knowingly entering or remaining on a “public way or sidewalk adjacent to a reproductive health care facility within a radius of 35 feet of any portion of an entrance, exit, or driveway…” In case it’s not obvious, this law was targeted at “sidewalk counselors” and…
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., isn’t just honoring his own pledge to serve no more than 12 years in office. The outgoing lawmaker also is pushing for a constitutional amendment on term limits, to lock other senators into the same time frame. “We have seen the disastrous effects of what happens when politicians stay in Washington for too long,” Vitter,…
In just a couple of hours, the Senate is gearing up for a final vote on the misnamed “Respect for Marriage Act.” The vote is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. EST with the full Senate voting on the First Amendment Defense Act amendment from Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and two other amendments from Sen….
House Republicans are inching closer to a vote on the GOP’s revised health care bill following the addition of an amendment that gained the support of two prominent Republicans, and maintained the backing of conservatives. Reps. Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Billy Long, R-Mo., negotiated the terms of the amendment with President Donald Trump during a…
James Madison once wrote that “Conscience is the most sacred of all property.” Sadly, over the course of the Obama administration, there has been an effort to strip away this most precious right when it is pitted against preferred liberal causes, such as abortion. Whatever you think about abortion, no one should be forced to…