Outside the Beltway

For the first tine in nearly ten years, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving Second Amendment rights.

There’s a way that Congress and the President could make future government shutdowns impossible, but they probably won’t do it.

In what amounts to a setback, the Supreme Court has lifted an injunction barring the Trump Administration’s ban on transgender service in the military to go forward pending further legal proceedings.

A Chicago police officer convicted of second-degree murder has been sentenced to seven years in prison, but could be out in as little as three-and-a-half.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in a case that could make it easier for consumers to buy and ship wine and other adult beverages across state lines.

A new blockbuster report implicates the President in no less than five Federal crimes.

Tulsi Gabbard was born in American Samoa, an American territory whose residents are generally not American citizens from birth. However, she is nonetheless a “natural born citizen.”

A Federal Judge has blocked the Trump Administration from going forward with a plan to put a question about citizenship on the 2020 Census.

The confirmation hearing for President Trump’s nominee for Attorney General appeared to go very well, making confirmation essentially a certainty.

Tomorrow the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in a case that could make it easier to order and ship wine from out-of-state retailers.

Florida’s New Governor has removed the Sheriff of Broward County over his officer’s lack of response before and during the Parkland shooting.

Washington State has a problem with people stealing “Mile 420” signs, so they’ve come up with a solution.

Doctors have declared Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg cancer free but she is still expected to miss one more week of oral argument as she recovers from her surgery in December.

President Trump appears to be backing away from the idea of declaring a national emergency to get his wall built. But the other options he’s considering aren’t much better.

The government shutdown has now entered historic territory, and the Trump Administration is moving closer to a “national emergency” or other extra-legal means to get money for his wall.

Paul Manafort’s attorneys reveal in a pleading that their client provided insider campaign data to Russian intelligence sources, something that seems an awful lot like collusion.

The Supreme Court is taking up the issue of partisan gerrymandering. This time, though, they’re likely to reach the merits of the cases rather than punting like they did last year.

President Trump is claiming that he could use authority to declare a “national emergency” to build his wall even if Congress doesn’t authorize it.

For the first time in her twenty-five years on the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is missing oral argument this morning.

Washington has become the latest state to ban the sale of semiautomatic assault rifles to persons under 21.

Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of The House again after eight years out of power, but there’s little time for her to celebrate.

A new law set to take effect in Utah before the New Year will lower the BAC limit for drunk driving by 40% to .05. Will the rest of the nation follow?

Good news for Notorious RBG.

The Supreme Court has rejected an attempt by the Trump Administration to have an injunction against its new asylum policy lifted.

The damage done for Mickey Mouse in the name of Sony Bono is finally coming to an end.

A preliminary report from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan found at least 500 Catholic Priests whose abuse of children had been covered up by Church officials.

One of the strongest climate regulations in the country is almost certainly unconstitutional.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent surgery to remove cancerous nodes from a lung, but reports seem to point to a quick recovery.

A Federal Judge has ruled that neither the Sheriff’s Office nor the School Board had a specific duty to protect individual students during the shooting last February in Parkland, Florida.

The Senate overwhelmingly passed major reforms in Federal sentencing and related laws. As the name of the bill implies, it’s a first step, but a good first step.

The mystery surrounding a secret proceeding in Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation has at least partly been solved.

Under fire from the New York Attorney General, Donald Trump’s questionable charitable foundation is shutting down.

As expected, the Justice Department has issued a new rule banning bump stocks. However, it is likely to face legal challenges.

Republicans scored a win in Court last week, but it seems likely to lead to a political loss in the long-term.

Mystery continues to surround a proceeding that has been making its way through the Federal Courts in Washington, D.C.

Eight years after it was signed into law, a Federal Judge has ruled the Affordable Care Act to be unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor contends that a recent change in tax law unravels the basis for the Supreme Court’s upholding of Obamacare.

A particularly appalling case of press censorship from Australia.

The publisher of the National Enquirer admits that it made payments to a Playboy model for the purpose of protecting Donald Trump’s campaign for President.

The President’s former lawyer and “fixer” Michael Cohen has been sentenced to three years in prison for his role in assisting the President in various scandals and cover-ups.

The Supreme Court declined to hear a case involving state laws banning Medicaid reimbursement for non-abortion services provided by Planned Parenthood.

Senator Mitch McConnell and others are blocking a criminal justice reform bill currently pending in the Senate.

A fifty-year-old song is getting new scrutiny in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

The white supremacist charged with killing a counter-protester during last year’s events in Charlottesville has been convicted of first-degree murder.

The Supreme Court appears reluctant to overturn a century of case law that established a significant exception to the Double Jeopardy Clause.

Lies and possible evidence of obstruction of justice make up the bulk of Robert Mueller’s new case against former Trump campaign director Paul Manafort.

Protests that have killed four and injured hundreds have been rewarded and show no sign of ending.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the U.S, Attorney for the Southern District of New York have filed sentencing memos that directly implicate the President in a series of felonies.

William Barr, who served as Attorney General under President George H.W. Bush, has been selected to replace Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.

The Trump Administration is preparing to ban bump stocks in the coming weeks.