Politico: “As forces loyal to Donald Trump began calling on Mike Pence to single-handedly stop Joe Biden from becoming president, the then-vice president dashed off a request in late 2020 to his top lawyer: Just how much power did he actually have over certifying electoral votes? His counsel, Greg Jacob, replied the next day with… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Congress
Elections Guide for Investigative Reporters: Introduction
Global Investigative Journalism Network: Editor’s Note: This is the introductory chapter of a new, five-part GIJN guide to investigating elections that will be serialized over the coming month. Look for the second installment, “Chapter 1: New Election-Digging Tools,” next week. Elections around the world face increasingly common threats, including disinformation campaigns, foreign interference, voter suppression, rising… Continue Reading
Federal judge: President Trump likely violated two criminal statutes in connection w/Jan 6.
@RepLizCheney “Federal judge: President Trump likely violated two criminal statutes in connection w/Jan 6. If “President Trump’s plan had worked, it would have permanently ended the peaceful transition of power, undermining American democracy and the Constitution.” If “President Trump’s plan had worked, it would have permanently ended the peaceful transition of power, undermining American democracy… Continue Reading
Reflections on Teaching Constitutional Law in the Midst of Constitutional Crisis
Kammer, Sean, Reflections on Teaching Constitutional Law in the Midst of Constitutional Crisis (September 13, 2021). South Dakota Law Review, Vol. 67, No. 2, 2022, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3923105 “The events of Jan. 6, 2021 at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. brought the U.S. Constitution to the forefront of the minds of citizens across… Continue Reading
Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress
CRS Report – Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress Updated March 17, 2022: “The United States has actively pursued the development of hypersonic weapons—maneuvering weapons that fly at speeds of at least Mach 5—as a part of its conventional prompt global strike program since the early 2000s. In recent years, the United States has… Continue Reading
Two Expert Librarians and a webinar – US and international elections
“Join GODORT’s Help! and PPIRS Professional Development webinar series for a joint session on U.S. and international elections. Two experts in the political science and government documents community will provide search strategies and resources for conducting research on domestic and international elections, including finding raw and aggregated data. Catherine Morse of the University of Michigan… Continue Reading
U.S. Senators Introduce SMART Copyright Act to Combat Piracy
TorrentFreak: “U.S. Senators Thom Tillis and Patrick Leahy have introduced the SMART Copyright Act of 2022. The bill requires online hosting services to implement standard technical protection measures, designated by the Copyright Office. Rightsholders see the proposal as a great step forward to protect creators, while opponents classify it as a filtering tool that will… Continue Reading
Lexis – Federal Legislative History Research Guide
Federal Legislative History Research on the Lexis+ and Lexis Services: “The purpose of this toolkit is to help you, the researcher, be more efficient and effective when conducting federal legislative history research on the Lexis+ or Lexis service.We provide tips and suggestions on how to approach this research, knowing that you will choose what works… Continue Reading
The polarization in today’s Congress has roots that go back decades
“It’s become commonplace among observers of U.S. politics to decry partisan polarization in Congress. Indeed, a Pew Research Center analysis finds that, on average, Democrats and Republicans are farther apart ideologically today than at any time in the past 50 years. But the dynamics behind today’s congressional polarization have been long in the making. The… Continue Reading
The Post Post-Cold War World
Axios: “Bruce Mehlman— founder of the government relations firm Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas — sketches how the two parties can spin Ukraine during this year’s midterm campaigns.” See his deck – The Post Post-Cold War World Russia-Ukraine War & Its Consequences Continue Reading
Publicizing Corporate Secrets for Public Good
Morten, Christopher, Publicizing Corporate Secrets for Public Good (February 13, 2022). University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. 171, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract= “Federal regulatory agencies in the United States hold a treasure trove of valuable information essential to a functional society. Yet little of this immense and nominally “public” resource is accessible to the public.… Continue Reading
Jan. 6 committee says Trump violated multiple laws in effort to overturn election
Politico: “The Jan. 6 select committee says its evidence has shown that then-President Donald Trump and his campaign tried to illegally obstruct Congress’ counting of electoral votes and “engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States.” In a major release of its findings, filed in federal court late Wednesday, the committee suggested that… Continue Reading
