The question of war with Iran is not theoretical anymore. The United States is engaged in active hostilities: coordinated strikes, retaliatory missile fire, and the possible drift toward broader conflict. The debate is fierce and deeply divided. Supporters argue that decisive action was long overdue. Critics warn that we’re stumbling into another Middle Eastern quagmire…
Should the DOJ Be Suing New Jersey?
The Department of Justice has decided to sue the State of New Jersey over Executive Order No. 12, signed by Gov. Mikie Sherrill. The order restricts when and how federal immigration officers can access nonpublic state property—like state-run facilities—unless they have a judicial warrant. Now, should the DOJ sue? Legally speaking, it absolutely can. Immigration…
SCOTUS Draws a Hard Line on Tariffs
The Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down President Trump’s sweeping emergency tariff program wasn’t some vague procedural technicality. It was a direct constitutional confrontation over who has the authority to impose tariffs and how far a president can stretch an emergency statute to achieve economic policy goals. In Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, the Court…
Bond Hearings, Borders, and Biblical Justice
The recent federal court ruling requiring bond hearings for many detained migrants has added even more fuel to the immigration debate. A federal judge pushed back on a broad executive interpretation that effectively denied bond to wide categories of migrants, ruling that many are entitled to individualized bond hearings before an immigration judge. In plain…
When Politics Meets the Chain of Command
There are political skirmishes that flare up, dominate a news cycle, and disappear. Then there are moments that quietly test the structural integrity of the republic. This controversy falls into the second category. Last fall, six Democratic lawmakers appeared in a video urging U.S. service members to refuse illegal orders. That message, resurfacing in today’s…
Ed Markey, Trump, and the Limits of Election Rhetoric
Sen. Ed Markey didn’t wake up one morning seized by a sudden desire to protect the delicate architecture of American federalism. His Senate resolution condemning President Trump’s remarks about “nationalizing” elections is, without question, a political act. It’s meant to draw contrast, mobilize a base, and frame Republicans as hostile to democratic norms heading into…
When Government Authority Slips from Law into Moral Theater
The recent actions by Republican leadership in Texas and Florida aimed at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) deserve more than reflexive applause or predictable outrage. They require sober analysis. Whatever one thinks of CAIR’s activism, rhetoric, or policy positions, the mechanism being used against it should trouble anyone who takes constitutional limits seriously. These…
The Grijalva Mess Is a Bad Look for Washington
The State of Arizona has done something extraordinary, and not in a good way. It has sued the United States House of Representatives. The reason? Because the House, under Speaker Mike Johnson, still hasn’t sworn in Adelita Grijalva, the Democrat who won September’s special election to fill the late Raúl Grijalva’s seat. Her election is…
The Supreme Court and the Sword: A Case That Could Redefine Presidential Power
There’s a tug-of-war playing out across America right now, and it’s not between two candidates or even two political parties. It’s between the Constitution’s two halves: federal and state power. President Trump’s latest legal battle over deploying the National Guard in cities like Portland, Chicago, and San Francisco has pulled that rope tighter than it’s…
When Courts Say “No” to Troops, Should the President Invoke the Insurrection Act?
Over the past few weeks, the Trump administration’s attempt to insert federal military (or Guard) force into major American cities has triggered a cascade of courtroom pushbacks. What looked like a bold posture on law and order is increasingly turning into a legal war of attrition. The administration, frustrated by injunctions and restraining orders, is…
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