Outside the Beltway

Elena Kagan has announced that she will not participated in the consideration of more than half the cases currently scheduled to be hear by the Supreme Court when it’s new term begins in October.

A federal court has found that don’t ask, don’t tell violates the First and Fifth Amendments.

An academic study reveals that police officers with college education are less violent than their peers. But the real story is how violent cops are, period.

Currently roughly 1 in 8 federal judgeships remain vacant.

Did you know that more Christians than Muslims were victims of hate crimes in America? Did you also know that there are a lot more Christians? Oh. Never mind, then.

Civilian control of the military means, oddly, that civilians control the military. And it means precisely that the military does not get to decide which civilians run the country.

If there’s an area where our attitudes and behaviors have changed more radically in my lifetime than gender equality, I can’t think of it.

New reports indicate that New Orleans Police were given orders to shoot looters amid the chaos after Hurricane Katrina hit the city. Fortunately, that never happened.

Glenn Greenwald argues that the “Ground Zero Mosque” debate is about more than just a “mosque” near Ground Zero. He’s right, but that also means the debate is likely to get uglier.

A quick flip-flop from Swedish authorities on a very serious charge.

Roger Clemens is probably regretting today the decision to testify before a Congressional committee about steroids back in 2008.

The 9th Circuit yesterday ruled that Stolen Valor laws violate the 1st Amendment and that there is a limited right to lie.

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, and his hair, will live to fight another day.

Same-sex marriages are still barred in California, but how long that lasts is in the hands of three judges on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Under what authority can the police lock down an entire city block, restricting our freedom of movement absent probable cause?

Ross Douthat’s latest New York Times column demonstrates an appalling misunderstanding of history in the context of immigration.

A helpful guide to the pleasures of navigating our nation’s capital by car, bike, or foot.

Judge Walker lifted the stay on his Order declaring Proposition 8 unconstitutional, but the big news may be the procedural defect that could doom any appeal.

According to a new poll, 87% of border residents feel safe.

You aren’t allowed the sing the Star Spangled Banner at the Lincoln Memorial.

Should we abandon the notion of civil marriage? Would doing so end the clash over homosexual unions?

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says there is no governmental or public interest in continuing a ban on gay marriage. But what about the will of his constituents?

Two Florida teens have been arrested for being in possession of naked pictures of themselves.

Americans get apoplectic at stories of police officers shooting people’s pets but seem unphased when they shoot innocent human beings.

What impact will Judge Walker’s decision on Proposition 8 have on politics in 2010 and beyond ?

U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker today declared California’s Proposition 8 to be unconstitutional, thus opening the latest front in the gay marriage wars.

Despite assertions that the violence in Mexico is spilling over the border, we find a rather stark comparison of two key border cities.

If lawyers and MBAs don’t understand their mortgage documents, what chance do the rest of us have?

In arguing against lifting liability caps on offshore drilling, the Wall Street Journal is arguing against both moral responsibility and the free market.

A Federal District Court Judge has allowed a lawsuit against the Obama Administration’s health care reform law filed by the Commonwealth of Virginia to proceed.

A number of disturbing incidents point towards increased anti-Islam hostility in the United States.

California Rep. Dan Lungren was pulled over for speeding during a live radio interview.

Portland authorities have decided, for a second time, that there isn’t enough evidence to charge Al Gore with sexual assault in a 2006 case.

The requirement that “members act at all times in a way that reflects creditably on the House” has a parallel in the UCMJ’s “conduct unbecoming” clause.

Immigration “moderate” Lindsey Graham is suddenly sounding not so moderate.

Congress has (after many years of debate) narrowed the gap between sentencing for crack cocaine and powder cocaine.