Outside the Beltway

When America’s leaders make the decision to engage in military action abroad, has the time for debate ended, or is it more important than ever that those with doubts about the policy speak out?

Operation Odyssey Dawn has resurrected the eternal battle over what limits there are, and should be, on the President’s ability to use military force without Congressional authorization.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum is the latest Republican to reject the idea that America is a secular nation.

Lawyers in US court case spent ten pages of transcript arguing what a photocopier is. “Do you have machines where I can put in a paper document, push a button or two, and out will come copies of that paper document, also on paper?”

The Federal Government has filed its response to Virginia’s request for an expedited review of Virginia v. Sebelius, and they’ve got an compelling argument against rushing things.

Comedian Gilbert Gottfried is the latest idiot celebrity to damage their career on Twitter.

Illinois became the 16th state to abolish capital punishment today. That’s far too few.

George Mason University law students are petitioning against the requirement to pay $136 to rent cap and gown regalia in order to attend their graduation ceremony.

An Alabama legislator wants to ban the use of Islamic law in the state’s courts — just in case Muslims take over.

Two new polls reflect the extent to which public attitudes on same-sex marriage have changed dramatically over the past twenty years, and it’s only a matter of time before that’s reflected in the law.

Judge Roger Vinson stayed his own ruling in the Florida ObamaCare lawsuit today and acted to speed up the appellate process, but not by much.

Pfc. Bradley Manning faces twenty-two new charges, including one that could put him before a firing squad, but investigators still can’t prove any direct links between him and Wikileaks.

At what point does the legitimate right to demonstrate cross the line into infringing on the rights of others?

The Supreme Court rules that “offensiveness” does not trump the First Amendment. And they’re right.

Sometimes the most sensible result can be the hardest to reach. This isn’t one of those times.

The fight over Federal funding for Planned Parenthood seems to be about much more than whether taxpayer dollars should be going to Planned Parenthood.

A New York judge has sided with comedian Jerry Seinfeld in a bizarre lawsuit by a crazy woman who writes cookbooks.

A look at history reveals that President Obama’s decision to decline to defend Section Three of DOMA is hardly unprecedented.

Judge Gladys Kessler upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, but she did so by essentially ruling that the Interstate Commerce Clause means whatever Congress wants it to mean.

The Media Bloggers Association has filed an amicus brief against a company which exists for the sole purpose of suing bloggers.

Huge news in the marriage equality debate today as the Obama Administration has decided not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court anymore.

The Affordable Care Act has been ruled Constitutional in Holder v. Mead.

Of the 314 police and firefighter unions in Wisconsin, only four endorsed Scott Walker.

Why not include police, firefighters and state troopers in the ban on collective bargaining?

The situation in Bahrain continues to evolve as the state has pulled back the stick.

Alaska Governor Sean Parnell says he won’t comply with any of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, but his decision seems to rest of precarious legal ground.

Neither side is covering themselves in glory in the battle over the Badger State budget.

Democratic Congresswoman Betty McCollum has received death threats after questioning the wisdom of the U.S. Army sponsoring a NASCAR Sprint Cup team to the tune of $7 million a year.

A county in the far southwest corner of Virginia is the latest battle ground in the ongoing battle over the separation of church and state.