Abigail Fisher applied for admission to the University of Texas at Austin (UT) as part of the entering class of 2008. Little did she know that being rejected for admission under UT’s race-conscious program would bring her before the U.S. … Continue reading
The Law
Keep Your Hands Off My Raisins: Court Invalidates Antiquated Raisin Grab
A Sad, Confused, and Ominous Obamacare Decision
In his scathing dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia summarized the Supreme Court’s decision in King v. Burwell in two sentences: “The court holds that when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act says ‘exchange established by the state’ it means ‘exchange … Continue reading
Obamacare Subsidies and Justice Anthony Kennedy
It’s not too much to say that President Obama’s domestic legislative legacy could turn on the outcome of King v. Burwell, the landmark case argued in March before the U.S. Supreme Court, which a decision forthcoming soon. If the administration … Continue reading
How the Supreme Court Should Decide the Same-Sex Union Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear four cases involving the issue of same-sex unions. These cases come from the Sixth Circuit where the U.S. Appeals Court had earlier upheld Michigan’s definition of marriage as limited to one man … Continue reading
Obama Drops Plan to Tax College Savings Plans
Only a week after proposing to hit the middle class with a tax on college savings plans, President Obama dropped the assault on so-called “529 plans.” These plans have been used by parents for two decades to save for their … Continue reading
Has the President Exceeded His Authority on Immigration?
In the State of the Union address, President Obama declared: “We can’t put the security of families at risk by taking away their health insurance, or unraveling the new rules on Wall Street, or refighting past battles on immigration when … Continue reading
Obamacare on the Defensive Once Again
When Case Western University law professor Jonathan Adler testified before a House subcommittee on July 31, 2013, he had no idea that his analysis of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) could bring that gigantic piece of legislation … Continue reading
Conflict Between the Circuits: Gay Marriage back on the Supreme Court’s Table
A month ago, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a collection of cases which raised the question of traditional marriage vs. same-sex unions. Now, a Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision may have changed all of that. By voting … Continue reading
What’s ahead for the Supreme Court? The Court refuses the gay marriage question
Every year, on the first Monday in October, the U.S. Supreme Court begins a new term. This year it began with a bang. The court refused to hear the largest number of petitions requesting certiorari—all of which raised the question of … Continue reading
The VA scandal: Should we expand the federal failure?
Wikipedia has called it the Veterans Health Administration Scandal of 2014. An audit released in early June found that more than 120,000 veterans were left waiting or never got care, and that records were intentionally vague, misleading, and falsified. More … Continue reading
Supreme Court Slows Obamacare’s Abortion Agenda
The Supreme Court waited until the last day of its term to issue its highly anticipated opinion in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties. The narrow 5-4 decision negates the “contraceptive mandate” of the Health and Human Services … Continue reading
Obama appointments nixed
In a rare unanimous decision, all nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with the outcome in NLRB v. Canning. The Supreme Court found that President Obama’s recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) were unconstitutional. However, … Continue reading
Being “offended” does not constitute an “establishment” of religion: The Supreme Court and Elmbrook School District
The Elmbrook School District operates two public high schools in suburban Wisconsin. Finding that its own gymnasiums were cramped, hot, and uncomfortable, and at the request of students, it decided to move joint graduation ceremonies to a local Protestant church … Continue reading
Squawk On: U.S. Circuit Court green-lights discrimination case against the IRS
Can the Internal Revenue Service silence a president’s political adversaries by using secret policies? It seems that we’re about to find out. The 17th century French politician and finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, once quipped that, “The art of taxation consists in … Continue reading
Pending Supreme Court Rulings (Part Four) – Obama and Recess Appointments: NLRB v. Canning
In January 2012, President Obama appointed three people to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which is the federal regulatory board that determines whether or not certain labor practices have been unfair. Since 2008, it had been without the three … Continue reading
The left’s evolving hierarchy of rights
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at TheBlaze.com. Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock, you’ve noticed the growing clash between religious freedom and issues like same-sex marriage and forced funding of abortion. Last week, the Supreme Court heard a landmark … Continue reading
Pending Supreme Court Rulings (Part Three) – “Will the First Amendment Protect the Religious Liberty of Businesses? The Cases of Conestoga Wood Specialties and Hobby Lobby Stores”
Conestoga Wood Specialties is a wood cabinets business located in Lancaster County, Pa. It is organized as a for-profit corporation and the voting shares are owned by members of a single family—the Hahns. They are Mennonite Christians. Conestoga has approximately … Continue reading
Pending Supreme Court Rulings (Part Two) – “Michigan voters’ stance for true equality: The Schuette case”
Editor’s note: This is the second article in a four-part series. In 1995, Jennifer Gratz was denied admission to the University of Michigan. Two years later she sued the university, alleging that she had been denied equal treatment under the … Continue reading
Pending Supreme Court Rulings (Part One) – “Abortion and free speech: The granny who will not be silenced”
Editor’s note: In this four-part series, Dr. John Sparks, a constitutional law professor at Grove City College, reviews and analyzes key upcoming U.S. Supreme Court cases that will have an impact on American life and liberty. A grandmother’s strong stand … Continue reading