Fast Company – “‘Storming’? ‘Insurrection’? ‘Riot’? ‘Attempted coup’? On Wikipedia, where neutrality is prized above all, volunteers are still searching for the words….As facts came in, as editors double-checked and pruned according to Wikipedia standards, the text grew and shrank and grew again, so that only the most relevant verifiable and neutral language remained. “Once… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Congress
National Archives – Presidential Elections & Inaugurations
“Every four years, on the first Tuesday (after the first Monday) of November, we cast our votes for President of the United States. The National Archives and Records Administration has a unique role in the election process: NARA’s Office of the Federal Register administers the Electoral College. On the following January 20, the President of… Continue Reading
The Capitol Rioters Weren’t ‘Low Class’
The Atlantic – The business owners, real-estate brokers, and service members who rioted acted not out of economic desperation, but out of their belief in their inviolable right to rule: “They were business owners, CEOs, state legislators, police officers, active and retired service members, real-estate brokers [one of whom arrived in DC via private jet],… Continue Reading
The Capitol Riot: Documents You Should Read (Part 1)
“The Pentagon’s timeline of its response to the January 6, 2021 mob attack on the U.S. Capitol features multiple discrepancies with the public record, while the first federal indictment of mob participants details the specific legal charges that likely will be brought against others, according to the documents in the National Security Archive’s first “January… Continue Reading
ABA Legal Fact Check updates prior posts on impeachment, perils of frivolous lawsuits
“The American Bar Association has updated ABA Legal Fact Checks on impeachment and the perils of filing frivolous lawsuits to assist reporters and editors working on these timely stories. With the U.S. House of Representatives voting to impeach President Donald J. Trump today for the second time in 13 months, the update on impeachment explores… Continue Reading
Domestic Terrorism and the Attack on the U.S. Capitol
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
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
