Outside the Beltway

The politicization of Supreme Court appointments didn’t start with Republicans last night.

It didn’t take long for the political battle over the seat held by the late Justice Antonin Scalia to become another part of the 2016 political battle.

In the short term, Justice Scalia’s death will have a significant impact on cases the Supreme Court has already heard, and cases it is scheduled to hear in the next two months.

Associate Justice Antonin Scalia has died at the age of 79.

A Pennsylvania Judge has refused to dismiss sexual assault charges against Bill Cosby based on an alleged 2005 Immunity Agreement.

More email headaches for the Clinton campaign, but it remains unclear if any wrongdoing occurred.

As autonomous vehicles near the point where they’ll become a presence on American roads, are we approaching a day when it will largely be illegal for people to drive their own car?

The Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal in what is guaranteed to be a high profile case heading into the 2016 elections.

An agreement purportedly made ten years ago by a former prosecutor could mean the end of the criminal charges against Bill Cosby.

The Supreme Court has agreed to review the legal basis for the conviction of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell on public corruption charges.

After oral argument today in a high profile case, it appears likely that public employee unions are likely to suffer a major legal defeat later this year.

Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore tells Probate Judges they should not issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, in clear defiance of the law and his duties as an officer of the Court.

In response to questions from reporters, Donald Trump suggested that Ted Cruz’s Canadian birth could pose problems for the GOP if Cruz won the party’s nomination.

The gun control regulations to be announced later today by President Obama later today amount to far less than the hype would lead you to believe.

A group led by Ammon Bundy, son of Clive Bundy, has taken over the Malheur Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon to protest somethingorother.

After nearly two years of decades old stories leaking out, entertainment legend Bill Cosby has been charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2005.

The decision by a Cleveland Grand Jury to decline to indict a police officer in the shooting of 12 year old Tamir Rice raises once again questions about how the law handles shootings involving police officers.

A ruling in an unrelated case raises serious doubts about the law used to revoke the Washington Redskins trademarks because they are allegedly ‘disparaging.’

The Post Office is saying that it will not accept for mail any publication that includes ad for marijuana, even in states where it has been legalized.

Delaware has become the latest state to liberalize its laws regarding marijuana.

At least one DHS official seems to be against the idea of using no-fly list to stop people from buying firearms.

A setback for prosecutors in the Freddie Gray case.

A new poll shows that a majority of Americans oppose a ban on so-called ‘assault weapons,’ a marked change from two decades ago.

Heading into another Presidential debate, a new poll shows that Republicans are very receptive to Donald Trump’s proposal to ban Muslim immigration to the U.S.

Every public school in Los Angeles, which covers over 600,000 students, plus teachers and staff, has been closed for the day in the wake of unspecified threats.

Ohio’s Secretary of State is already precluding the possibility that Donald Trump could get on the ballot as an independent in the Buckeye State.

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will face a Court Martial for the circumstances that led to his being capture and held captive by the Taliban for five years.

A New York Judge has upheld an injunction against Draft Kings and Fan Duel. It’s probably correct under New York law, but that just means the law needs to be changed.

The man who killed three and wounded several others at a Colorado Planned Parenthood seemingly admitted guilt and motive in a courtroom outburst, but questions about his mental capacity remain.

A divided Supreme Court heard argument today in a case involving affirmative action in college admissions that is before the Court for the second time in two years.

Donald Trump’s plan to exclude Muslims from the United States is provoking condemnation, and confusion, around the world.

The Supreme Court heard oral argument today in a case that could have big implications for redistricting, and the make-up of state legislatures and the House of Representatives.

I am having a hard time seeing a system of districts based on eligible voters and not simply population.

The Justice Department has launched a widespread investigation into the operation of the Chicago Police Department in the wake of the murder of LaQuan McDonald.

The Supreme Court has declined to accept an appeal challenging a law barring certain types of so-called ‘assault weapons’ in a Chicago suburb.

The no-fly list is a flawed, arbitrary mess that has kept innocent people from flying for years. Using it to deny people rights recognized by the Constitution is, quite honestly, insane.

Yesterday, cable news networks, and most especially MSNBC, showed their profession at its most pathetic.

The probability that the shootings in San Bernardino were at least inspired by ISIS and/or other Jihadist terror networks is increasing.

No, there really haven’t been 355 ‘mass shootings’ since January 1st. Not unless you’re relying on completely unreliable data.

Mass shootings rightly grab our attention. But the obscure the overall picture of violent crime.

Yesterday, the British Parliament debated the expansion of that nation’s military strikes against ISIS. For more than a year, our cowardly Congress has failed to even hold one debate or vote on America’s role in that conflict.

The suspects in the San Bernardino shootings are dead, but that’s about all we know so far this morning.

The October 2014 shooting of 17 year old LaQuan McDonald is beginning to have a political impact in Chicago and could have national political implications as well.

Multiple victims, and possibly multiple shooters, reported in San Bernardino, California.

After requesting a 30 day extension to reply to the Federal Government’s request for appeal in the case challenging President Obama’s immigration executive action, the states get only eight days.

Marco Rubio is telling conservative Christians in Iowa and elsewhere what they want to hear on same-sex marriage. It just happens to be complete and utter nonsense.

Blaming political opponents for criminal acts they clearly didn’t commit or advocate isn’t a political argument, it’s demagoguery.

We still don’t know very much about Robert Dear, the man who shot and killed three people at the site of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado, but that hasn’t stopped the usual suspects from politicizing the case.