Tag Archives: austin
Citizens United
The Court this morning handed down its ruling in Citizens United v. FEC. A preliminary skim: the ban on corporate “electioneering” (corporate funds for an independent expenditure, mentioning a candidate, within 30-60 days of an election) is struck down.
Full StoryBalkanization goes to town on Chicago’s brief
Right here . A few samples: “In the city’s attempt to preserve its weapons ban, it proves too much, essentially urging the Supreme Court to find that protection of the Bill of Rights and other fundamental liberties against state infringement has no basis in constitutional text or history, and is instead achieved solely by judicial implication. To make matters worse, Chicago’s brief makes common cause with precedent that has been properly labeled by civil rights leaders as “among the most misdirected in the history of the Court” and celebrates a post-Civil War Court that looked the other way while Jim Crow perpetuated decades of discrimination and violent rights suppression.” “Chicago’s repeated deference to these decisions of the post-Civil War Court—beyond merely respecting them as precedent, the city’s brief calls them a “venerated” line of decisions—is disconcerting.
Full StoryNew article by Randy Barnett
“Whence Comes Section One? The Abolitionist Origins of the Fourteenth Amendment.” It explores the many ways in which abolitionist legal thought influenced the 14th Amendment. The leadership of the 39th Congress were abolitionists to a man, and shared legal understandings that did not require explanation.
Full StoryPresentation on Chicago case
For any readers lucky enough to be at the SHOT Show in Vegas, here’s an SAF press release: SAF SCHEDULES SHOT SHOW PRESS CONFERENCE ON CHICAGO GUN BAN CASE The Second Amendment Foundation will hold a special press conference during the Las Vegas SHOT Show on Wednesday, January 20, 11:30 a.m.
Full Storylawsuit: national airgun pre-emption
Snowflakes in Hell has a post on it . Interesting — I didn’t even know Federal pre-emption of airgun regulations existed!
Full Story