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Constitutional Accountability Center
Founder and President of the Constitutional Accountability Center, a think-tank and law firm based in Washington, DC
PROFILE
Doug Kendall
Guest
FROM Doug Kendall
To the Point
Has the South Outgrown the Voting Rights Act? After the re-election of America's first black president, Alabama and other states want the US Supreme Court to throw out a key section of the Voting Rights Act . It requires states and localities with histories of racial discrimination to check with the Justice Department when they change voting laws. Democrats and Republicans extended it almost unanimously in 2006, and George W. Bush signed the new law . But in a case financed by a shadowy conservative fundraiser, states claim they're being punished for sins of the past. Do last year's elections tell a different story? The Supreme Court will hear arguments next week. Did Chief Justice Roberts invite the challenge? President George W. Bush signs the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 on Thursday, July 27, 2006
Which Way, L.A.?
A New Justice and a New Term for a Court in Transition The US Supreme Court began its first full term today with Justice Sonia Sotomayor in place of retired Justice David Souter.
To the Point
A New Justice and a New Term for a Court in Transition The US Supreme Court began its first full term today. Justice Sonia Sotomayor , who's replacing retired Justice David Souter adds a new face to America's highest court, though it's not clear she'll make much of a difference on major decisions. Conservatives still dominate five to four, with Anthony Kennedy the bouncing ball on constitutional questions and precedents. If Chief Justice Roberts goes ideological, decisions on gun rights, religion, campaign spending and executive power could be legal blockbusters. Is he more likely to guide the court to "incremental" rulings less likely to be overridden while Congress is controlled by the Democrats?
Recommended
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.