Brookings – The following is the preamble to “Lift Every Voice: The Urgency of Universal Civic Duty Voting,” a report from the Working Group on Universal Voting convened by The Brookings Institution and The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School. Download the full PDF report here. “Imagine an American democracy… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Category Archives: Congress
A Vaccine Reality Check
The Atlantic – So much hope is riding on a breakthrough, but a vaccine is only the beginning of the end: “Nearly five months into the pandemic, all hopes of extinguishing COVID-19 are riding on a still-hypothetical vaccine. And so a refrain has caught on: We might have to stay home—until we have a vaccine.… Continue Reading
Congress Soars to New Heights on Social Media
Democratic lawmakers post more content on Twitter, while the median Republican member now averages more audience engagement than the median Democrat across platforms – “As social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have become ingrained in political and popular culture, a new Pew Research Center analysis of every tweet and Facebook post from members of Congress… Continue Reading
Majority of Public Favors Giving Civilians the Power to Sue Police Officers for Misconduct
Pew – Little public support for cuts in spending on local policing – “With legislation to address racism and the use of excessive force by law enforcement stalled in Congress, there is broad public support in the United States for permitting citizens to sue police officers in order to hold them accountable for misconduct or… Continue Reading
America Should Prepare for a Double Pandemic
The Atlantic – COVID-19 has steamrolled the country. What happens if another pandemic starts before this one is over? – Ed Yong – “…Certain traits increase a pathogen’s pandemic potential. Those that spread via bodily fluids (Ebola), contaminated food and water (norovirus), or insect bites (Zika) are slower to spread around the world. By contrast,… Continue Reading
Presidential Succession: Perspectives and Contemporary Issues for Congress
CRS report via LC – Presidential Succession: Perspectives and Contemporary Issues for Congress, July 14, 2020: “Succession to the office of President of the United States is provided for by the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Title 3, Section 19 of the U.S. Code (3 U.S.C. §19). The Twenty-Fifth Amendment states in Section… Continue Reading
The CDC has always been an apolitical island
Statnews – That’s left it defenseless against Trump: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the country’s top public health agency, is being kicked around by the White House. And it doesn’t have much power to kick back. As President Trump spars with nearly all of the federal agencies that have a hand in his… Continue Reading
House Judiciary Committee Releases Transcript of Interview with Former SDNY Prosecutor Geoffrey Berman
“Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) released a transcript of the Committee’s July 9th interview with Geoffrey Berman, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY). Chairman Nadler issued the following statement on the release of the transcript: “While Mr. Berman was U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New… Continue Reading
Facing Eviction In The Time Of Coronavirus
Law360: “By the end of this week, courts in at least 39 states will be accepting eviction lawsuits — often heard remotely due to the pandemic — against tenants behind on their rent. People of color, and especially Black women, have historically faced these suits at twice the rate of other renters; they are also… Continue Reading
Report – Regulating Electronic Means to Fight the Spread of COVID-19
In Custodia Legis Library of Congress – “It appears that COVID-19 will not go away any time soon. As there is currently no known cure or vaccine against it, countries have to find other ways to prevent and mitigate the spread of this infectious disease. Many countries have turned to electronic measures to provide general information… Continue Reading
Legal experts say Supreme Court ruling on Trump financial records will have far-reaching effect
SCOTUS Blog – Opinion analysis – Disputes over Trump financial records to continue: “This morning [July 9, 2020] the Supreme Court issued its long-awaited rulings in the battle over efforts to obtain financial records belonging to President Donald Trump. By a vote of 7-2, the justices sent a pair of cases challenging congressional subpoenas for… Continue Reading
Federal workers are returning to the office
Washington Post – Some members of Congress say they shouldn’t be. “With the number of coronavirus cases increasing across much of the country, leading members of Congress on civil service issues are challenging orders by federal agencies for teleworking federal employees to return to their regular worksites. “I think we have to press the pause… Continue Reading
