Outside the Beltway

As I have noted before: party trumps institutional pride. The Barr testimony is just another example.

President Trump claims that he’d challenge any effort to impeach him in court, but the law makes clear that he can’t.

The House of Representatives is asking a Federal Judge to block the President’s emergency declaration to fund his border wall.

In case anyone needs a refresher.

A WaPo writer takes a round-about path to demonstrate the obvious.

There appear to be enough votes in the Senate to pass the resolution disapproving President Trump’s border wall “emergency,” but there’s not enough Republican support to override an expected veto.

The House of Representatives voted yesterday to block the President’s declaration of an “emergency” at the southern border. Now the matter goes to the Senate.

Republicans face a choice in the coming days. Do they support the Constitution, or do they support Donald Trump? You can count on them making the wrong choice.

While not subject to filibuster, it’s still subject to Presidential veto.

The American Civil Liberties Union has joined the list of groups with lawsuits against the President’s declaration of a “national emergency” at the southern border.

The lawsuits against President Trump’s “national emergency” have begun. Except more.

There is a bit of a disjuncture between the terminology and the reality (but that does not excuse Trump’s current actions).

President Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border while at the same time undercutting his own case for doing so.

President Trump’s impending decision to declare a national emergency to get funding for his border wall will quickly face serious legal challenges. It may be more vulnerable than the White House suspects.

Lindsey Graham is telling his fellow Republicans that they better back the President if he decides to declare a national emergency to get funding for his border wall.

The Northam situation shows the rigidity of separation of powers systems.

Don’t expect the Congress (i.e., the Senate) to pull us out of this shutdown mess.

President Trump’s latest attack on the Federal Judiciary prompted a rare rebuke from the Chief Justice of the United States.

When do we stop pretending that Fox News Channel is anything other than State Run Media for the Trump Administration?

The Kavanaugh fight is just another indicator of our national divide.

Brett Kavanaugh is expressing some regrets over his performance last Thursday, but it’s largely far too little, far too late.

We should take Congressional officers out of the line of succession.

The second day of questioning for Judge Brett Kavanaugh was a bit rockier than the first, but nothing happened that seriously threatens his eventual confirmation.

A Federal Judge in Texas has declined to grant a request to bring the DACA program to an end, but its days appear to be numbered unless Congress acts.

A Federal Appeals Court has found that a Trump Administration policy purporting to punish so-called sanctuary cities is unconstitutional.

Senate Democrats appear to be recognizing that there’s basically nothing they can do to stop the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

There is a frustration and a growing sense that the American political system is illegitimate.

Madison was right about politicians and ambition. He just didn’t see the how it would all play out.

The dean of conservative columnists argues that the Republican Congress must be taught a lesson.

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

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

A new lawsuit seeks to have the 2012 DACA program declared unconstitutional.

An essay from earlier in the year by Jacob T. Levy underscores some of the points I recently tried to make about democratic norms in the current era.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down a Trump Administration Order that purported to punish so-called ‘sanctuary cities.’

The Editorial Board of the Newspaper of Record urges Congressional Republicans to steady themselves for a constitutional crisis.

Continuing a long-standard tradition, the Trump Administration claims it doesn’t need to get legal authorization to keep American troops in Syria.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has redrawn the state’s Congressional Districts based on its recent ruling finding the current map to be unconstitutional partisan Gerrymandering. It makes a lot more sense than the map the state is currently using.

Despite mounting evidence and outrageous behavior, Republicans nationwide and on Capitol Hill continue to do the Administration’s dirty work. They’ll most likely live to regret it.

With the Administration set to commit the United States to a forever war in Syria, it’s time for Congress to act.

Late yesterday, a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling striking down the latest version of Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban.

Report that President Trump considered withdrawing the Gorsuch nomination are another sign of his unhealthy obsession with pledges of loyalty from people who have no business giving it to him.

For a guy who considers the Russia investigation “Fake News,” President Trump sure is doing a lot to try to stop it.

A Federal Judge in California has entered an order permanently blocking a Trump Administration effort to deny funding to so-called sanctuary cities.

Chicago is joining the growing list of jurisdictions challenging the Administration’s policy on sanctuary cities.

No wonder they wrote it in secret and want to move quickly to a vote…

The Trump Administration will not try to stop former F.B.I. Director James Comey from testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday.

The Administration suffers another defeat in defense of its effort to ban Muslim immigrants.

As usual, an attempt to explain congressional behavior brings us back to the issue of our basic institutions. The way we elect congress matters.

Another Federal Court has found another Trump Executive Order unconstitutional.

By a narrow margin, Turks voted for some significant changes.