On the eve of public hearings held by Congress’ January 6 investigative committee, a former oversight staffer for the House of Representatives explains what such hearings aim to accomplish.
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Articles on Separation of powers
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A strong, courageous and dedicated Chief Justice will provide the leadership desperately needed to turn the administration of justice around.
The court said WA’s new law to prevent Palmer from collecting damages against the state was not unconstitutional. Here’s why.
The ANC’s choice of parliamentary Speaker reflects poorly on the party leadership and contrasts starkly with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s commitment to uncorrupt governance.
The Angolan political elite lost an extraordinary opportunity to improve significantly the country’s constitution.
GOP Rep. Liz Cheney says the American people “deserve the full and open testimony of every person with knowledge of the planning and preparation for Jan. 6.” Will they get it?
The actions of the chief justice undermine the independence, impartiality and competence of the judiciary, which erodes public confidence in the courts.
The appointment of judges has hitherto been an obscure and oftentimes clandestine affair. This has produced incompetent judges and led to claims that the judiciary is beholden to the executive.
The judicial process in South Africa is hugely contested. This places an exaggerated burden on the courts to act with maximum independence and impartiality.
When presidents have tried to address pressing issues through executive action, members of Congress are quick to ask the courts to step in.
By trying to circumvent the courts, the government is undermining both the rule of law and separation of powers. There is also collateral damage to the rule of law.
In cases testing the limits of presidential power, the Supreme Court ruled the president has no special protections that exempt him from complying with subpoenas from Congress or state grand juries.
Could defiance of court orders at the highest level undermine the Constitution’s authority in the eyes of American citizens?
The doctrine of equality is ingrained both in theory and in the express provisions of Lesotho’s constitution.
Declaring an issue is a national emergency lets presidents act quickly and with few constraints. But once they get this kind of power, it’s hard to take it back – and it can produce bad policies.
President Trump’s likely to be acquitted by the Senate in his impeachment trial. But the impeachment’s effects won’t end until lawsuits are resolved.
An expert on Watergate says that today’s House Republicans have taken precisely the opposite position than the GOP took in 1974 on the president’s power to withhold documents from Congress.
The impeachment vote is the latest, and most extreme, example of a power struggle between the executive branch and Congress that has existed since George Washington was president.
The process known as policy analysis requires careful consideration and deliberation. In most cases, the public also gets to weigh in.
The Trump administration has once again tried to change immigration law, this time enacting severe limits on the rights of asylum-seekers. An immigration law expert says only Congress can do that.
Top contributors
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Professor Emeritus of Public Law, University of Cape Town
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Professor of Law, University of the Witwatersrand
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Professor of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Sydney
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Associate Professor of American History and Politics, University of East Anglia
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Distinguished Fellow in Law and Government, Penn State
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Research Specialist, the Miller Center, University of Virginia
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Head of Department, Public and Environmental Law Department, University of Limpopo
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Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Sydney
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Professor and Program Leader of Criminology, Australian National University
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Dean and Professor of Law, UNSW Sydney
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Professor, UNSW Law School, UNSW Sydney
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Emeritus Professor of Law, Monash University
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Senior Lecturer in Socio-Legal Studies, Flinders University
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Senior Lecturer in Law, The University of Western Australia
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Lecturer in Law, Murdoch University
