The Travel Ban Case and Nationwide Injunctions
On Wednesday, April 25, 2018, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in the “travel ban” case, Trump v. Hawaii. While the case presents many significant issues, one that has received relatively less at...
When the City Goes Broke: Pensions, Retirees, and Municipal Bankruptcies
In recent years, a significant number of cities, towns, and other municipalities in the United States have found themselves increasingly unable to pay their debts. In order to offer municipalities rel...
Commerce Department Announces Citizenship Question on 2020 Census and Lawsuits Filed
On March 26, 2018, the Commerce Department, which houses the U.S. Census Bureau, announced that the 2020 decennial census questionnaire will include a citizenship question. Thereafter, the State of Ca...
Whose Line is it Anyway: Could Congress Give the President a Line-Item Veto?
In announcing his intention to sign H.R. 1625, the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018,” President Trump, noting his concerns over the fiscal size of the bill, called on Congress to provide him wit...
Guns, Excise Taxes, Wildlife Restoration, and the National Firearms Act
Federal taxes on firearms and ammunition are collected through different methods and used for different purposes, depending on the nature of the firearms. Some tax receipts are used for wildlife resto...
Agriculture Funding in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018
On February 9, 2018, Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-123), which broadly authorized supplemental appropriations, including for crop and livestock losses from the 2017 hurri...