Thursday, April 9, 2015

Fifth Circuit's Ruling on Standing in Mississippi DACA Case -- Implications for Texas DAPA Case

On Tuesday a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a decision of a District Court finding that the State of Mississippi lacks standing to challenge President' Obama's "DACA" immigration policy -- the policy that defers deportation of persons brought to this country as children. What does this mean for the decision of a Texas federal district court that found that the State of Texas and other states have standing to challenge the President's DAPA immigration policy -- the policy that defers deportation for four million more undocumented aliens?

Monday, April 6, 2015

How Will the "Religious Liberty" Laws Affect the Supreme Court's Decision on Same-Sex Marriage?

The four conservatives on the Supreme Court have repeatedly argued that opposition to same-sex marriage is not based on hatred but rather on traditional morality and religious belief, and that these are sufficient grounds upon which to deny same-sex couples the right to marry. Will the furor over "religious liberty" laws that would have legalized discrimination against same-sex couples change their minds?

Friday, April 3, 2015

150 Years Ago: Abraham Lincoln's Visit to Richmond

On April 4, 1865 -- twelve days before his death -- the 16th President landed on the banks of the James River near the shattered Tredegar Ironworks in Richmond, Virginia, and walked up the hill to the Confederate White House, accompanied by his disabled son Tad, a small platoon of soldiers, and thousands of cheering newly-freed slaves.