U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor voiced cautious optimism about the state of American democracy in a televised interview this week, stressing that the republic endures so long as citizens remain engaged and active participants in self-governance. Speaking with ABC News’ Linsey Davis, Sotomayor reflected on warnings from constitutional scholars about a possible democratic crisis…
A weekend immigration raid in Southern California has sparked legal and constitutional questions after a 28-year-old U.S. citizen, Cary López Alvarado, was detained and hospitalized while eight months pregnant. The case highlights the tension between immigration enforcement authority and the civil rights protections guaranteed to citizens under the U.S. Constitution. Arrest Sparks Constitutional Questions López…
In a historic legal ruling, Senior Federal Judge Charles Breyer has declared for the first time in U.S. history that a sitting president violated the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878—a statute designed to prevent the use of the U.S. military in domestic law enforcement. The ruling blocks former President Donald Trump from deploying military forces…
The Trump administration has agreed to restore more than $6.8 billion in federal education funds after facing a multi-state lawsuit challenging its abrupt decision to freeze the congressionally allocated money. The withheld funding, earmarked for after-school and summer learning programs, teacher training, and support for English learners, had left more than 1.4 million children —…
Louisiana has enacted one of the most controversial criminal justice measures in recent history, becoming the first state in the United States to authorize surgical castration as a possible punishment for convicted child sex offenders. The law, signed by Governor Jeff Landry, took effect on August 1, 2024, and has already triggered nationwide debate among…
A federal judge has issued a decisive ruling preventing the Trump administration from cutting off federal funding to dozens of U.S. cities and counties with so-called “sanctuary” policies, a decision that underscores the limits of executive authority in the immigration context. The Ruling U.S. District Judge William Orrick, sitting in San Francisco, extended a preliminary…
President Donald Trump on Monday, August 25, signed an executive order that bans the burning of the American flag, setting up what legal scholars expect will be an immediate and contentious constitutional battle. The order directs the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute instances of flag burning, imposing a mandatory one-year jail sentence…
In a fiery press conference on Monday, August 12, 2025, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson sharply criticized President Donald Trump following the president’s remarks threatening to deploy the National Guard to Chicago. The clash comes days after Trump authorized the Guard’s deployment to Washington, D.C., and labeled both Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker “incompetent.” Mayor…
President Donald Trump’s decision to invoke emergency powers to assume temporary control of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has drawn strong objections from Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, who argues the move is both legally questionable and a blow to the city’s limited home-rule autonomy. The order, issued under Section 740 of the District of…