Outside the Beltway

Retiring Arizona Senator Jeff Flake says that he will not seek to block President Trump’s nominee to replace Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.

Contrary to what many people have claimed, the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Hawaii did not overturn one of the most controversial decisions in its history.

Progressive enthusiasm for the notion that our governing framework is dynamic and ought be constantly updated by the judiciary is waning.

The unconscionable violation of norms in 2016 won’t apply in 2018; it’s a matter of power, not principle.

After thirty years on the bench, during which he played a central role in some of the Supreme Court’s most significant rulings, Justice Anthony Kennedy is retiring.

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court has ruled that public sector unions cannot force employees to pay membership fees.

It’s been eight years since we’ve seen a Supreme Court retirement, and despite speculation there were none announced today.

The Supreme Court term began with hopes that the Justices would shake up the redistricting process with rulings against partisan gerrymandering. It has ended with three whimpers.

In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court struck down a California law requiring Crisis Pregnancy Centers to provide information about abortion.

In a ruling that largely relies on the authority granted by Congress to the President to regulate immigration on national security grounds, the Supreme Court has upheld the final version of the Administration’s travel ban.

In a 5-4 party-line vote, the High Court declared that the Constitution and Federal Law give the President broad authority over immigration.

Donald Trump continues to demonstrate that he has nothing but utter contempt for the Rule of Law. At some point, he will either be called to account for this or our nation’s institutions will suffer as a result.

The Supreme Court has largely rejected a challenge to state and Federal redistricting maps in the State of Texas.

The Supreme Court declined, for now, to hear the appeal of a Washington state florist who declined to provide services for a same-sex wedding. The issues it raises, though, are likely to return to the Court in the future.

Some activists on the left are calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be abolished. While that may be a great sound bite, it doesn’t really accomplish anything.

In a case that pit the new rules of cyberspace against the old rules about when the Fourth Amendment protects privacy, the Supreme Court ruled today in a way that breathes new life into both privacy and the Fourth Amendment.

Overruling precedent dating back 51 years, the Court has ruled that states can require businesses that sell to residents within their state collect and remit appropriate sales taxes.

We may finally get a ruling applying the Excessive Fine Clause to the states and limiting the ability of police to confiscate property.

The Supreme Court avoided ruling on the merits of two partisan gerrymandering cases, but the issue will be back before them sooner rather than later.

A federal trial court has ruled the practice an unconstitutional infringement on suffrage.

A 9-0 ruling side-stepped the broader issue of to what extent purely political considerations may be applied.

The Trump administration’s approach to immigrant children is a serious test of our national morality.

With two more weeks to go, there are plenty of “big” cases still awaiting the release of a decision.

Donald Trump’s former Campaign Manager was sent to jail, a move that likely increases the pressure on him to cooperate with Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

The Department of Justice’s Inspector General found that former F.B.I. Director James Comey was ‘insubordinate’ in regard to the Clinton email investigation, but found no evidence of political bias at the Bureau.

The Attorney General of New York has filed a Complaint against President Trump and several members of his family alleging widespread fraud in the operation of Trump’s charitable Foundation.

In a significant First Amendment ruling, the Supreme Court has held that a Minnesota law barring “political apparel” at polling places is unconstitutional.

Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer is expected to cooperate with the Mueller investigation.

Longstanding policy that the Justice Department defend an Act of Congress if there is “any reasonable argument” it is constitutional is being ignored.

The Federal Government is signing on to an effort by Texas and several other states to have the DACA program declared unlawful.

The Trump Administration is declining to defend the Affordable Care Act in Court, arguing that the individual mandate is now unconstitutional because the tax penalty has been eliminated.

In Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute, Samuel Alito authored a 5-4 opinion ruling that removing voters from the rolls after four years is perfectly legal.

For the second time in three years, we have a Triple Crown winner.

Former Trump Campaign Director Paul Manafort has been hit with a new round of charges.

Another Federal Judge has held that the Trump Administration’s efforts to punish so-called ‘sanctuary cities’ violates both Federal law and the Constitution.

Some legal scholars are speculating that the Court’s ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop could impact the ruling on the President’s Muslim Travel Ban. This seems unlikely.

President Trump has unblocked Twitter users, but at the same time his lawyers are appealing the ruling that he can’t block Twitter users.

Based on a strict reading of the Constitution, a sitting President probably does have the power to pardon himself. That doesn’t mean he should be allowed to get away with it without consequence.

In an exceedingly narrow ruling, the Supreme Court sided with a Colorado baker who refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding reception. However, the ruling did not address the broader issues raised by the case.

Echoing the Obama Administration, the Trump Administration is arguing that it did not need Congressional authorization to attack Syria earlier this year.

President Trump’s attorneys have put forward a shockingly expansive view of the powers of the President.

Earlier this week, the Illinois legislature ratified the Equal Rights Amendment. What’s unclear is if this act has any meaning at all.

The President teased the Jobs Report an hour before it was officially released. This was both a violation of Federal law, and yet another example of this President violating long-established norms governing how politicians are supposed to act.

President Trump has issued another controversial pardon.

President Trump is claiming that he didn’t fire former F.B.I. Director James Comey because of the Russia investigation, even though he admitted the exact opposite just weeks after it happened.

In an early morning Tweetstorm, President Trump said he would not have hired Jeff Sessions if he knew he’d recuse himself from the Russia investigation.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that a police officer violated the Fourth Amendment when he conducted a search on a vehicle parked in a Defendant’s driveway without a search warrant.

How far should judicial confirmation hearings go in asking potential Judges and Justices their opinions about issues that may come before them?

With one month to go in its term, there’s still a lot on the Supreme Court’s plate.

Alex Jones is finally being called on to answer for his irresponsible lying about events like the Sandy Hook shooting.