Outside the Beltway

The Senate overwhelmingly passed major reforms in Federal sentencing and related laws. As the name of the bill implies, it’s a first step, but a good first step.

Senator Mitch McConnell and others are blocking a criminal justice reform bill currently pending in the Senate.

An effort by the Federal Government to prosecute Wikileaks founder Julian Assange raises serious First Amendment issues.

A Federal Judge has ruled that the Trump Administration’s efforts to limit the ability of migrants to claim asylum violates Federal law.

The White House and CNN have settled the dispute over Jim Acosta’s press pass, but future conflict between this Administration and the press corps seems inevitable.

Trump, Scott, and their allies are not doing America any favors.

There’s a new church/state separation case on the Supreme Court’s docket.

President Trump has fired his Attorney General, a move than many are interpreting as the precursor to a move against Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Florida voters approved an amendment to the state’s Constitution that will restore the voting rights of as many as 1.2 million ex-felons and make it easier for future released felons to get their civil rights back.

The Supreme Court is set to consider whether to take a case involving employment discrimination based on gender identity.

Overwhelmingly, legal experts agree that President Trump is wrong about birthright citizenship and the Fourteenth Amendment.

Jamal Khashoggi’s final column includes a message that should resonate far beyond the Arab world it was addressed to.

Part III is here (a lot sooner than Part II was).

For the second time this year, a Federal Court has struck down a state law designed to punish businesses that engage in a boycott aimed at Israel.

Seventeen years ago, America was thrust into a war that seemingly has no end.

Jennifer Rubin wants to build a new political party from scratch.

Passports being denied to citizens whose birth records are being questioned.

California is taking a major step in Criminal Justice reform by eliminating cash bail.

A Georgia County is abandoning a dubious plan that would have closed 2/3 of the county’s polling stations.

Care to guess the demographic makeup of the county?

Another step forward in the seemingly unstoppable movement toward nationwide legalization.

Another Federal Judge has ruled in favor of a transgender student seeking the right to use the gender that conforms to the gender they identify with.

A Federal Judge in Oregon has rejected an efforts by a parent’s group to block a school district policy that allows transgender students to use the restroom facilities that conform to their gender identity.

A powerful political network is distancing itself from the Trump-dominated Republican Party.

Federal law protects internet companies from liability for statements written by others.

The Polish Government has amended a controversial law that sought to punish people for discussing the role that some Poles played in the Holocaust.

Jarrod Ramos should have been in jail, let alone allowed to have any weapon more dangerous than a butter knife.

Contrary to what many people have claimed, the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Hawaii did not overturn one of the most controversial decisions in its history.

The 100-mile Constitution-free zone strikes again.

A federal trial court has ruled the practice an unconstitutional infringement on suffrage.

In a significant First Amendment ruling, the Supreme Court has held that a Minnesota law barring “political apparel” at polling places is unconstitutional.

An inordinate amount of cruelty is being perpetrated in the name of border security. It’s only partly the fault of the current President.

The Trump Administration has lost track of nearly 1,500 children at the same time that it is implementing a new policy that will result in children who arrive at the border with their parents or other family members.

Conservatives claim to support freedom of speech and freedom of expression, but they’ve utterly failed that test when it comes to their reaction to players who peacefully and respectfully kneel during the National Anthem.

As expected, Gina Haspel was confirmed as C.I.A. Director yesterday despite her controversial record when it comes to torture.

While longtime supporters have turned on the legendary attorney over his support of Donald Trump, he’s been astonishingly consistent.

The incident involving Paul Ryan and the House Chaplain has raised some questions.

Mississippi has passed a law that seems designed to directly challenge the underpinnings of Roe v. Wade.

By all accounts, Gina Haspel is exceedingly well qualified to be the next C.I.A. Director, but she has a troubling past that the Senate will need to at least force her to answer questions about.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals rules that existing civil rights laws bar discrimination based on sexual orientation.

A Federal Judge In Kansas has blocked enforcement of a state law barring anyone who does business with the state from engaging in a boycott of Israel.

A confusing new report from the Washington Post.

Imagine a world where Hillary Clinton was President and stood accused of the same things Donald Trump and his campaign are currently under investigation for.

The deal that led to the end of the Federal Government shutdown isn’t sitting well with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

President Trump has shut down the commission he established to investigate unsupported claims of “voter fraud” in the 2016 election.

The Supreme Court is allowing the latest version of Donald Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban to go into effect.

For the second time in as many months, a Federal Court is blocking the Administration’s ban on transgender troops in the military.

Reversing an Obama Era position, the Justice Department has rescinded a legal interpretation that purported to apply previously adopted civil rights laws to transgender individuals.

Hugh Hefner, who became both a cultural icon and a catalyst and reflector of vast social changes, has died at the age of 91.

The Trump Administration has issued a new travel ban to replace the temporary one that expired late last week, but it still suffers from most of the same defects as its initial efforts.