A growing number of legal scholars question whether a justification exists for protecting religion as its own category. Yes, the text of the First Amendment refers specifically to religion, they concede, but that’s an anachronism. As a matter of principle, religion as such doesn’t merit . . . . Continue Reading »
For those who are interested, here’s a brief writeup of the inaugural Joint Colloquium in Law and Religion, which the St. John’s Center for Law and Religion and Villanova Law School co-hosted this semester. The Joint Colloquium used “virtual classroom” technology that allowed . . . . Continue Reading »
One of the consequences of the inner city violence that Peter mentions in the previous piece was the rise of the SWAT team. The country’s first official SWAT team started in the late 1960s in Los Angeles. By 1975, there were approximately 500 such units. Today, there are thousands. According . . . . Continue Reading »
Just a brief note to start a conversation about the case of the baker, Jack Phillips , who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple who had been married in Massachusetts and wanted to celebrate with a party in Colorado. Phillips is a Christian. He does not refuse service to gays . . . . Continue Reading »
Leon Panetta, Secretary of Defense, sent out a memorandum the other day about ” Extending Benefits to Same-Sex Partners of Military Members “. You could look at it as the other shoe dropping with the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Now, you tell so you can be . . . . Continue Reading »
Via Ben Boychuk, I have this article out of Washington State about proposed gun control legislation there. Responding to the Newtown school massacre, the bill would ban the sale of semi-automatic weapons that use detachable ammunition magazines. Clips that contain more than 10 rounds would be . . . . Continue Reading »
The weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal featured an article advocating the decriminalization of drugs. Economists Gary Becker and Kevin Murphy argue the war on drugs has failed, and social costs of continuing with our current laws are too high. Their solution is to legalize drugs use, and . . . . Continue Reading »
Conor Friedersdorf asks about the president’s kill list, drones, and Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, 16 years old and an American citizen, who was the son of the late Anwar al-Awlaki, who was also born in America, who was also an American citizen, and who was also killed by drone. There is a . . . . Continue Reading »
The cover story on National Review is by Jonathan Adler and Nathaniel Stewart, who are insisting there were Positive Steps, Silver Linings in the Supreme Court’s ruling in NFIB v. Sebelius ruling. Since I am expecting stormy weather over the next few years in the matter of . . . . Continue Reading »
In a decision that will upset some military men I know, the Supreme Court finds that it is constitutional to lie about yourself. The case centered on Xavier Alvarez, a water-district board member in California, who was convicted of falsely claiming to be a Medal of Honor recipient. A federal . . . . Continue Reading »
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