Outside the Beltway

More on the pending referendum and some thoughts on elections in authoritarian contexts.

The Supreme Court turns down a case dealing with student’s First Amendment rights.

If something is going to be done about an out of control National Security State, it’ll be because the American people demand it.

Another Circuit Court finds that the Second Amendment protects a right to carry a weapon in public.

The string of victories for same-sex marriage continues as a Federal Judge rules that the Commonwealth of Kentucky must recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages.

Another victory for marriage equality. This time from the state that gave us the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on interracial marriage.

Yes. Amanda Knox could be extradited.

The American justice system is unique.

One could argue the constitutional requirements of the SOTU are fulfilled on an onging basis.

Our profound condolences to Doug Mataconis on the loss of his father.

An excellent argument for immigration reform can be found in the case of one Californian named Sergio Garcia.

The false choice that is rampant in drug warrior thinking is the main problem when it comes to good policy.

From Florida, a small victory for Fourth Amendment rights.

A Federal Judge in New York upholds, for the most part, that state’s new gun control law.

Time to watch a bit of true American exceptionalism in action.

Democracy was nice while it lasted.

There is far less overlap between the two parties in the House–and the shift has been empirically rightward.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has endorsed “none of the above” for governor of Virginia.

It’s a party thing.

An Example of How Institutions Matter.

Some thoughts on reform.

Conservatives are doing what they criticized JournoList for doing—even though JournoList didn’t.

There really is no reason for Congress to confirm so many posts.

Thoughts on the immigration debate.

President Obama is rightly outraged by a wave of sexual assaults in the military. He unwittingly made them harder to prosecute.

Some thoughts on the ongoing situation in Egypt.

James Holmes will be shackled like animal during his murder trial for no apparent reason.

The 5-4 ruling was much more sweeping than needed to strike down DOMA.

The Supreme Court today struck down the most controversial part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The government has your cell phone and credit card records. What can they do with that information?

Turkey has had along and ongoing struggle with democratic consolidation.

I have for months taken it as a given that she went on five Sunday morning talk shows and lied about what happened there. Did she?

Apparently, Benghazi has not faded (at least not for some).

A strange loophole in the law means Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will be questioned without being advised of his Miranda Rights.

A bipartisan commission of elder statesmen confirms what we’ve known for years.

Basically, it’s inconsistent with the strategy.

Representative democracy is a process of delegation of power to agents who act on behalf of citizens. The process of delegation matters.

Believing the maker/taker dichotomy.

An attempt to lay down some basic groundwork for discussing this story.

Wherein I get a bit petty (but to make a point and, maybe just because it amuses me).

OTB bloggers give their best guesses on the House and Senate races.

The OTB gang give their best guess at the outcome of the 2012 presidential contest.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been working tirelessly to ensure Barack Obama is a one-term president but has been effusive in praising Obama’s leadership during Hurricane Sandy.

Wherein I engage in a little intra-blog debate.