Category: Explainer
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Smith & Wesson Brands v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in this case. It is difficult to actually conceive of how long the battle for our Second Amendment rights has been going on. It started in 1792 and has continued through tomorrow. In the founding era, there were a number of racist and religious exceptions. These were designed…
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Dellinger v. Bessent (D.D.C. 25-cv-00385)
When I was in elementary school, the principal still had a paddle hanging on the wall behind him. The principal was the person that hired and fired teachers and all other staff at the school. They had significant power. To quote Stan Lee, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Most principals did use their power…
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Another win?
This case started in the United States District Court (D.D.C.) This is the court that covers Washington, D.C. Two cases were brought AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition v. United States Department of State and Global Health Council v. Trump. Docket Number: 25-cv-400 and 25-cv-402. The two cases were filed in the same court at nearly the…
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Hard Choices
People have a difficult time making hard choices. The Trolley Problem brings is one of the ways that we explore ethical choices. The general premises are that there are five people that will die if you do nothing. There is one person, who is currently safe, who can be sacrificed to save the five. Do…
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Bessent v. Dellinger, SCOTUS Watch
This matter concerns the President’s action to remove Hampton Dellinger from his position as Special Counsel for the Office of Special Counsel. Dellinger challenged his without-cause removal in the District Court for the District of Columbia. See 5 U. S. C. §1211(b). On February 12, 2025, the District Court entered a temporary restraining order (TRO)…
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Bassent v. Dellinger, 24A790 (SCOTUS)
We’ve talked about the process of litigation in a civil suit. A complaint is filed. In the complaint, the plaintiffs state what they are challenging, why they believe the law supports them, what harm they are suffering, and what relief they seek. The facts in this case are that on Friday, February 7, 2025, Trump…
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State of New York v. Donald J. Trump
A hearing was held on Friday. I expect the judge to issue an order regarding the Preliminary Injunction on Monday. The TRO expired on Friday, so the judge will either issue an order regarding the case. If she is going to go rogue, she will want to have that done on Monday to stop the…
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Clearances
Every piece of information the government or military processes has a classification level assigned to it. Currently, the federal government lists four levels of clearances that are associated with classification levels. The other level is “No Clearance”. Information that is classified as “Confidential” could cause damage to national security if disclosed. Note the weasel word…
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The Fourteenth Amendment
Section 1 All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State…
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The Boy That Cried Wolf
First, Mark Smith is a lawyer. I am not. Much of the “inside baseball” I’ve learned from listening to Mark and others like him on YouTube. His analysis of many cases is spot on. Many times his analysis guides mine. I enjoy listening to him. To put it differently, I enjoy him attempting to “make…