Outside the Beltway

Solutions come from understanding, not denial or political posturing

Roger Ebert and I don’t agree on much, from politics to movies. But share a fondness for Samuel L. Jackson and a contempt for George Zimmerman.

My armchair pop psychology on George Zimmerman, the man who gunned down innocent black teenager Trayvon Martin, appears on target.

When I saw the YahooNews headline “Law firm fires 14 employees for wearing orange shirts,” I naturally presumed it had something to do with St. Patrick’s Day. As it turns out, it’s even dumber than that.

George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin met on the night of February 27th. Martin died, and a firestorm has erupted.

Dharun Ravi was convicted of bias intimidation toward Tyler Clementi. It’s not at all clear that he should have been.

What are the limits on government power?

A tragic incident in Afghanistan that’s likely to have tragic consequences.

Rush Limbaugh may be a jerk, but he has a right to be a jerk.

Attorney General Eric Holder offered a somewhat alarming defense of the Administration’s policy on targeted killings.

Movie theater snacks are expensive. This is not cause for a lawsuit.

Rick Santorum wants to nullify nearly 200,000 marriages.

Billionaires have been free to donate as much money as they want to activist groups since the dawn of the Republic.

E-mail forward raises serious questions about judge’s judgment .

An important vindication of the right against self-incrimination.

Another Federal Court rules in favor of marriage equality, and the biggest news is how unsurprising the outcome of the case is.

Why should lying about having served in combat or been awarded a medal for valor should be legally different from lying about athletic prowess in high school, the number of sexual partners you’ve had, or the size of one’s sex organs?

Virginia has become the latest battleground for advocates of laws that define life as being at conception.

When it comes to same-sex marriage, the right is fighting a losing battle.

A bill likely to become law in Virginia will require all women seeking abortions to undergo an invasive ultrasound examination.

A victory for proponents of same-sex marriage today in the Ninth Circuit.

The Birthers have suffered yet another totally predictable loss in Court.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg had some advice on Constitution drafting for Egyptians

Virtually everything Stephen Colbert is doing was legal before Citizens United.

My latest for The Atlantic explains, “Why We Should Be Glad the Haditha Massacre Marine Got No Jail Time.”

One year later, Egypt’s revolution remains unfinished.

A Federal Judge deals with the clash between individual rights, law enforcement, and technology.

The Supreme Court issued a somewhat muddled ruling on GPS tracking today.

Some questions for opponents of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United.

Mitt Romney made a suggestion about how to fix our campaign finance system. It’s a good idea.

The first shot in a Constitutional showdown has been fired.

Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich are appealing the ruling that they cannot get on the Virginia ballot. Their argument doesn’t amount to much.

Not surprisingly, Rick Perry’s effort to get on Virginia’s primary ballot via litigation has failed

A far-reaching decision from the Supreme Court protecting religious liberty.

Another death row inmate. Another case of prosecutorial misconduct from the office of Harry Connick, Sr.

Some legal developments in the lawsuit over access to Virginia’s March 6th Primary Ballot.

Aaron Swartz has been arrested for downloading too many academic journal articles.