CRS Insight via LC – Domestic Terrorism and the Attack on the U.S. Capitol, January 13, 2021: “On January 6, 2021, a large group of individuals breached the U.S. Capitol security while Congress was in session. Members were voting on whether or not to certify President-Elect Joe Biden’s election victory, and many participants in the… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Congress
The Empty Crypt Beneath the US Capitol Rotunda
Mental Floss – “The U.S. Capitol Crypt is home to 40 Doric columns, a dozen statues, and no human remains. It’s also a lot less far off the beaten track than your regular run-of-the-mill underground vault—visitor tours of the Capitol building pass through it on a daily basis. In fact, the Capitol Crypt wasn’t exactly… Continue Reading
Impeachable Speech
Katherine Shaw, Impeachable Speech, 70 Emory L. J.1 (2020). Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.emory.edu/elj/vol70/iss1 “Rhetoric is both an important source of presidential power and a key tool of presidential governance. For at least a century, the bully pulpit has amplified presidential power and authority, with significant consequences for the separation of powers and the constitutional order more… Continue Reading
Compiling the Criminal Charges Following the Capitol Riot
LawFare: “On Jan. 6, a violent mob entered the United States Capitol Building during the congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, forcing lawmakers and congressional staff to flee to safe locations. The rioters arrived at the Capitol Building following a rally on the National Mall where speakers and demonstrated urged Congress to not certify… Continue Reading
Questions to Guide an Investigation of the Capitol Attack
Just Security: “The invasion of the United States Capitol was an entirely predictable event, which makes the wholesale security collapse all the more unconscionable. Threats on social media grew more frequent and specific after President Donald Trump called on his supporters to gather in Washington, D.C., and push Congress to overturn the election results. Somehow… Continue Reading
Federal Criminal Law: January 6, 2021, Unrest at the Capitol
CRS Legal Sidebar via LC: Federal Criminal Law: January 6, 2021, Unrest at the Capitol: “On January 6, 2021,a crowd gathered on the U.S. Capitol grounds, breached police barriers, entered the Capitol building, occupied portions of the building for an extended period of time, and clashed with law enforcement, resulting in at least five deaths,dozens… Continue Reading
The Day Democracy Was Attacked
Marc Elias – “Washington, D.C. is no stranger to protests. The Lincoln Memorial, just across the Mall from the U.S. Capitol, is the most famous backdrop for speeches about how we make our country “more perfect.” It is where Martin Luther King Jr. told the nation about his dream. When crowds are drawn to the… Continue Reading
House Judiciary Committee Report on the Impeachment of Donald J. Trump
The House Judiciary Democrats released their report on[January 12, 2021 supporting impeachment. House Judiciary Committee Report on the Impeachment of Donald J. Trump to accompany H. Res. 755 [76 pages]. “Mr. NADLER, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the following REPORT together with DISSENTING VIEWS [To accompany H. Res. 755]. The Committee on the… Continue Reading
The U.S. Capitol Police: Brief Background
CRS Insight via LC – The U.S. Capitol Police: Brief Background, January 12, 2021: “U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) is a department within the legislative branch with security, protection, and administrative responsibilities. The USCP is responsible for law enforcement and security within the Capitol Complex, including the U.S. Capitol building, the Capitol Visitor Center, Capitol grounds,… Continue Reading
Parler Users Breached Deep Inside U.S. Capitol Building, GPS Data Shows
Gizmodo: “At least several users of the far-right social network Parler appear to be among the horde of rioters that managed to penetrate deep inside the U.S. Capitol building and into areas normally restricted to the public, according to GPS metadata linked to videos posted to the platform the day of the insurrection in Washington.… Continue Reading
Joint Chiefs remind military of duty to support and defend Constitution
CBSNews.com: “The Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking officers in each branch of the military, sent a remarkable memo to all members of the armed forces on Tuesday reminding them of their duty to uphold the Constitution and reaffirming that President-elect Joe Biden will be inaugurated on January 20. “The American people have trusted the… Continue Reading
Everything Is Different Now
The Atlantic – Tom Junod: The U.S. Capitol did not fall the way the Twin Towers did, but the American idea it embodies was brutalized. “We must remember 1/6 the way we remember 9/11….The attack on the U.S. Capitol was not a shock, because the people who perpetrated it did not come from out of the… Continue Reading
