Brookings Institution
Benjamin Wittes is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a member of the Hoover Institution's Task Force on National Security and the Law. The co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Lawfare blog, Wittes is the author of Confirmation Wars: Preserving Independent Courts in Angry Times and Law and the Long War: The Future of Justice in the Age of Terror.
Are we reaching a constitutional crisis? Trump has attacked "so-called Judges," demeaned the FBI, posited that it's a horrible idea that the press can write whatever it wants and led the chant of "lock her up" against Hillary Clinton. His defenders say this is just Trump being Trump.
Human Rights, the Law and the Ongoing Threat of Terror Waterboarding was stopped before the end of the Bush Administration. Humane treatment of prisoners was required by an act of Congress, and rules were laid out in the new Army Field Manual of 2006. President Obama has proclaimed that torture is contrary to America's founding documents and fundamental values.
Human Rights, the Law and the Ongoing Threat of Terror Waterboarding was stopped before the end of the Bush Administration. Humane treatment of prisoners was required by an act of Congress. Rules were laid out in the new Army Field Manual of 2006.
Dueling Speeches over National Security President Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney lined out their differences today in speeches designed to frame the ongoing debate on national security. The President spoke at the National Archives, Cheney addressed the American Enterprise Institute
Obama and Cheney Address the Politics of National Security The President and the former Vice President could hardly disagree more on the right and wrong policies for keeping America safe. In dueling speeches today, they advanced their views and repudiated each other on issues including interrogations, Guantánamo Bay and the Constitution.
National Security and American Values Suspected terrorists have been held for years in US military prisons with no charges and no trials, creating a conflict between constitutional rights and national security. As soon as next month, Barack Obama will face tough choices about presidential power.
What Should Be Done about Guantanamo Detainees? In last year's campaign, Barack Obama was scathing in his criticism of the Bush Administration's treatment of prisoners in the war on terror. As President, he has denounced torture and ordered closure of Guantánamo Bay. But what about detainees who've been held for years without trials or even charges against them?
Judge Michael Mukasey and the Department of Justice Yesterday, former Federal Judge Michael Mukasey promised to resist White House political meddling, to restore the integrity of the Justice Department and to balance the requirements of national security with Constitutional liberties. His chances of being confirmed to replace Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General were looking good.
Supreme Court Divided Again on a Major Decision In 1954, US Supreme Court ruled --without a dissenting vote--that racial segregation in public schools violated the Constitution. The Court's unanimity was considered a great achievement by the new Chief Justice, Earl Warren --and a major factor in driving the subsequent integration of schools.
A California soaking, but will it stick? Some parts of Southern California got more than five inches of rain this week, in a series of storm systems that hit the area one after the other.
The march toward a teachers strike sounds familiar Higher salaries, larger class sizes, more counselors, librarians and nurses. Those are just some of the demands that members of United Teachers, Los Angeles - the union that represents teachers' at LAUSD - are asking for.
What are charter schools? LAUSD teachers were picket lines for a second day Tuesday. And this morning the teachers union organized a march to the California Charter Schools Association office downtown, to draw attention to their criticisms of local charter schools. But what are charter schools anyway?
