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Articles on US Constitution

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On Dec. 19, 2016, Colorado elector Micheal Baca, in T-shirt second from left, cast his electoral ballot for John Kasich, though Hillary Clinton had won his state’s popular vote. AP Photo/Brennan Linsley

Supreme Court to decide the future of the Electoral College

Many Americans are surprised to learn that Electoral College members do not necessarily have to pick the candidate their state’s voters favored. Or do they?
Members of the military wearing U.S. Army Special Forces insignia block protesters near Lafayette Park and the White House on June 3, 2020. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Why soldiers might disobey the president’s orders to occupy US cities

There is a long line of military heroes who had the moral courage not to follow immoral orders. In the days ahead, some may have to consider what exactly their oath to the Constitution requires.
Gerald Dent, left, is joined by James Featherstone and Niles Ringgold at a rally for felon voting rights, in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 10, 2020. Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Stripping voting rights from felons is about politics, not punishment

Recent efforts to restore voting rights to the formerly incarcerated, a crucial Democratic constituency, could have important implications for the 2020 presidential election.
When is the right time to wave the green flag? Yellow Dog Productions/Getty Images

Who’s in charge of lifting lockdowns?

Federal authorities have input, but states reign supreme – unless they decide to let local governments make the call.
Donald Trump at a press briefing with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force on April 18, 2020 in Washington, DC. Sarah Silbiger/AFP

Donald Trump’s ‘Chinese virus’: the politics of naming

An analysis of the expressions used by Donald Trump to designate Covid-19 sheds light on his political calculations and on the evolution of his relationship with China in recent weeks.
On April 13, the president said he had the authority to order the states to reopen the economy. Getty/Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post

Trump versus the states: What federalism means for the coronavirus response

Throughout the coronavirus crisis, President Trump has made inconsistent statements about who is responsible for key aspects of the nation’s response to the pandemic. The Constitution has the answer.
Milwaukee voters wait in a social-distancing line, some wearing masks, before voting in the state’s spring elections on April 7. AP Photo/Morry Gash

Why the Supreme Court made Wisconsin vote during the coronavirus crisis

The Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts has reversed its decadeslong practice of protecting voters’ rights and removing barriers to casting ballots.
Together no more: remote voting for Congress could be the outcome of public health restrictions on gatherings. House of Representatives

Coronavirus restrictions likely to lead to remote voting for Congress

Democrats may soon propose letting members of Congress vote by proxy during the pandemic. A legal scholar says the language the Founders used 233 years ago could allow voting remotely.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, at a Senate GOP lunch meeting on March 20, 2020, to discuss the ‘phase 3’ coronavirus stimulus bill. Getty/ Drew Angerer

How one federal agency took care of its workers during the yellow fever pandemic in the 1790s

Today’s coronavirus pandemic has echoes in the yellow fever pandemic of the 1790s. Then, as now, workers struggled with how to support themselves and their families. One federal agency had the answer.
Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presided over the Senate during President Andrew Johnson’s impeachment trial. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper/Wikimedia Commons

The Senate has actually tied in an impeachment trial – twice

In 1868, during the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson, the Senate tied on two votes. Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase broke both ties.

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