LawFare:”What is “executive privilege”? In the specific context of information disputes between the executive branch and Congress, the Supreme Court has never addressed—let alone answered—that question. Nevertheless, as the Trump administration repeatedly relies on that constitutional doctrine to reject demands for information and testimony, the question has been at the forefront of a spate of… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Category Archives: Congress
The Government Protects Our Food and Cars. Why Not Our Data?
The New York Times – The United States is virtually the only developed nation without a comprehensive consumer data protection law and an independent agency to enforce it – “Why are Americans protected from hazardous laptops, fitness trackers and smartphones — but not when hazardous apps on our devices expose and exploit our personal information?… Continue Reading
Publication of Mueller Report’s Secret Memos Begins
“BuzzFeed News sued the US government to see all the work that Mueller’s team kept secret. We have published the first installment, with revelations about the Ukraine conspiracy theory, Michael Cohen, Paul Manafort, and more… In response to a court order, the Justice Department released the first installment of documents: hundreds of pages of summaries… Continue Reading
Democrats unveil procedures for Trump’s impeachment inquiry rebutting GOP attacks
Washington Post – “House Democrats unveiled new procedures for the impeachment inquiry of President Trump on Tuesday, responding to Republican demands for due process by setting out rules for future public hearings delving into whether Trump should be removed from office. The resolution backed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hands the lead role to… Continue Reading
Federal Workforce Statistics Sources: OPM and OMB
CRS Report via LC – Federal Workforce Statistics Sources: OPM and OMB, Updated October 24, 2019 – “According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the federal workforce is composed of an estimated 2.1 million civilian workers,1 and several federal agencies collect, compile, and publish statistics about this workforce. Sources may vary in their totals due… Continue Reading
The Law of Immigration Detention – A Brief Introduction
The Law of Immigration Detention: A Brief Introduction, October 24, 2019. “The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) authorizes— and in some cases requires—the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain non-U.S. nationals (aliens) who are subject to removal from the United States. This detention scheme is multifaceted, with rules that turn on several factors, such… Continue Reading
Congress Looking into Anticompetitive Behavior in the Digital Library Market
Publishers Weekly – “The American Library Association (ALA) has delivered a written report to the House Judiciary Committee telling lawmakers that “unfair behavior by digital market actors,” including Amazon and some major publishers, is “doing concrete harm to libraries.” The report, delivered last week to a House antitrust subcommittee investigating competition in the digital market,… Continue Reading
Congressional Access to Information in an Impeachment Investigation
CRS Report via LC – Congressional Access to Information in an Impeachment Investigation, October 25, 2019 – “Committee investigations in the House of Representatives can serve several objectives. Most often, an investigation seeks to gather information either to review past legislation or develop future legislation, or to enable a committee to conduct oversight of another branch… Continue Reading
Most of the political tweets you see are from a minority of users
National Politics on Twitter: Small Share of U.S. Adults Produce Majority of Tweets – “Those who strongly disapprove of Trump produce majority of tweets from U.S. adults that mention national politics – “The social media platform Twitter plays a prominent role in how politicians, media outlets and advocacy organizations promote their agendas and engage with… Continue Reading
Libra: A Facebook-led Cryptocurrency Initiative
EveryCRSReport.com – Libra: A Facebook-led Cryptocurrency Initiative October 21, 2019: “On June 18, 2019, Facebook announced that, with 28 other members, it had founded the Libra Association, which planned to launch a new cryptocurrency, called Libra. The association released a white paper that outlined the characteristics of Libra and described its goal of creating a… Continue Reading
BYU Law creates language database to help interpret Constitution
The Daily Universe: “The Constitution is America’s central legal document. However, it was written a long time ago, and language has since evolved. Changing language can make the law difficult for lawyers and judges to interpret. What does it really mean to “bear arms?” How should readers understand the phrase “high crimes and misdemeanors?” BYU… Continue Reading
Executive Privilege and Individuals outside the Executive Branch
EveryCRSReport.com – Executive Privilege and Individuals outside the Executive Branch October 9, 2019 IN11177 – “White House assertions of executive privilege for presidential communications have historically been confined to individuals who were executive branch employees when those communications occurred. While the idea that executive privilege could extend to individuals outside the executive branch predates the… Continue Reading
