Outside the Beltway

The Senate returns tomorrow to try to pass an extension of the PATRIOT Act before it expires, but it may not be able to do so.

A Federal Appeals Court has ruled that the N.S.A.’s data mining program is illegal, but its ruling may not have a very big impact.

Republicans on Capitol Hill are talking about fundamentally changing what it means to be an American, and it’s a bad idea.

Arkansas, North Carolina, and Virginia may soon see the same battle over RFRA laws that is playing itself out in Indiana

Even with the passage of time, Watergate remains a singularly important event in American history

One of the longest serving Members of Congress just got his political career saved.

Think of it as the spy version of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

Eric Holder’s testimony before Congress is leading to accusations of perjury, but the argument that he did so seem pretty weak.

The ultimate impact of the Newtown tragedy on the nation’s gun laws is likely to be very limited.

If the Department of Justice does not fully comply with Congressional subpoenas, then there seems to be no alternative other than holding the Attorney General in contempt.

Wikipedia’s English language site will be offline for 24 hours tomorrow to protest two controversial online piracy bills.

Questions have been raised about whether it is proper for Elena Kagan to hear the Affordable Care Act lawsuit.

Much like bills named for dead children, there’s a very high likelihood that any bill with “protecting children” and/or “pornographers” in the title is a) a very bad idea, b) a very stupid idea, c) of dubious Constitutionality, or, as here, d) all of the above.