Outside the Beltway

A blast from the past as Oliver North, who was once at the center of a major Washington scandal, is named President of the National Rifle Association.

A Federal Judge In Kansas has blocked enforcement of a state law barring anyone who does business with the state from engaging in a boycott of Israel.

A confusing new report from the Washington Post.

Two Federal Judges have issued orders blocking the latest version of President Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban.

Arguments advanced by those advocating a bill that would prevent Americans from participating in a boycott of Israel would not violate the First Amendment appear to be without merit.

Contrary to reports, Secretary of Defense Mattis is not defying the President on his order to bar transgender Americans from serving in the military.

President Trump’s effort to ban transgender Americans from serving in the military faces two new legal challenges.

The problematic nature of Arpaio’s tenure goes beyond just his contempt charge.

The First Amendment protects the rights even of the people who gathered in Charlottesville to promote hatred and violence, However, it does not shield them from the consequences of that speech.

Yes, even Nazis must have their rights to peaceful speech and assembly protected.

A Massachusetts teenager faces 20 years in prison for contributing to her boyfriend’s suicide via text message.

The infamous former sheriff and current Trump Homeland Security official committed academic fraud.

Two years after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling, nearly two-thirds of Americans support the idea of legal marriage rights for gay and lesbian Americans.

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals heard argument yesterday in the appeal of an order barring travel from six Muslim countries, and it didn’t appear to go well for the attorneys defending the ban.

The Fourth Circuit has declined to rehear a case in which a three judge panel sided with a transgender student seeking to use the bathroom consistent with their gender identity.

A victory in the fight to reform civil asset forfeiture laws.

The Governors of Connecticut and New York are joining President Obama and Hillary Clinton in favor of a really bad idea.

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.

Rowan County, Kentucky Clerk Kimberly Davis was found in contempt of court and jailed for her refusal to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

A County Clerk in Kentucky is being sued because she thinks she can refuse to do her job and still keep that job.

It could cost you $250 to say “F- Arlington” if you happen to be in Arlington when you say it.

Arkansas, North Carolina, and Virginia may soon see the same battle over RFRA laws that is playing itself out in Indiana

More interesting developments from the Supreme Court on what has been one of the biggest legal stories of 2014.

For the fourth time in three years, a Federal Court has ruled that Florida’s law requiring drug tests for welfare recipients is unconstitutional.

A popular idea that does nothing useful while simultaneously violating the Constitution.

Mandatory quarantines are a massive violation of personal liberty. We ought to be careful in how, when, and why we impose them and who they are directed toward.

In some sense, justice has prevailed.

The Supreme Court’s next term doesn’t start for three months, but it’s becoming clear that the Justices will have to deal with marriage equality when it does.

Mostly because of politics, the hopes of some and fears of others will never be realized.

The Supreme Court has again ruled that prayers that open legislative sessions are not unconstitutional.

If something is going to be done about an out of control National Security State, it’ll be because the American people demand it.

Another Federal District Court ruling on the Constitutionality of the NSA’s data mining program, this time more favorable to the NSA.

Bradley Manning’s announcement that she wishes to begin living life as a woman poses some interesting legal questions.

New technology brings the day of round the clock tracking of citizens who’ve done nothing wrong ever closer.

The marriage equality battle is entering its next phase.

Effective immediately, Texans will have to show photo identification to vote.

A Colorado 6-year-old with a penis has successfully sued for the right to use the girls’ restroom.

The ACLU is suing over the NSA’s data mining. Does it really have a chance?

Jay Stanley and Ben Wizner, privacy experts at the ACLU, argue that metadata is more sensitive than we think.

Apparently, it’s not just reporters whose phone logs the Obama administration is tracking.

Republicans should reject the calls to call for a Special Prosecutor to investigate the unfolding scandals in Washington.

Justice Ginsburg made some interesting comments about Roe v. Wade recently. Could they be a signal about where the Court is headed on gay marriage?

The GOP’s decision to filibuster the Senate Gun Control Bill doesn’t make a lot of political sense.