Cline on the Constitution

September 8, 2019 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Judiciary

Cline on the Constitution – the Census Question and the Politization of the Court Summer vacation is over, and the Supreme Court’s traditional opening for the new term the first week of October draws nigh. With a brutal campaign for President unfolding the stage is set for what could be a turning point for the Supreme […]

Double Jeopardy

July 21, 2019 by philcline in Bill of Rights / Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Federalism / Judiciary

The Supreme Court recently, and for the first time in a hundred years, issued a definitive opinion on Double Jeopardy. A close reading, however, leaves an impression that the opinion was about more. As privacy issues (such as the “right” to an abortion) make their way back to the Court, this case may provide a road map […]

Cline on the Constitution

July 1, 2019 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Free Speech / Judiciary

While I was on vacation the Supreme Court began to wind down their current term and issue opinions on a few highly anticipated cases. As usual there were a few smart opinions and a few stupid ones. And following the trend over the past decade, a lot of 5-4 votes. Though there has been some discussion that […]

Cline on the Constitution – Interpretation

May 27, 2019 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Judiciary / Presidency

In November, President Trump referred to a federal District Court Judge as an “Obama judge.” Uncharacteristically, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, rebutted the President in a public statement. He said, “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges, . . . (an) independent judiciary is something we should […]

Executive Privilege

May 12, 2019 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Congress / Presidency

This week’s edition of Cline on the Constitution Executive Privilege It seems every year we have at least one descriptive term that evolves into a sacrosanct badge of being politically correct. We’ve had “diversity”, we’ve had “homeless”, and a number of others it wouldn’t take long to conjure. The terms are over-used, frequently misused and so […]

Impeachment

April 28, 2019 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Congress / Presidency

The Impeachment of a President Calls for the impeachment of President Trump have been circulated since before he assumed office. Any pretext seems to suffice. If one is shown to be groundless, another is quickly adopted. With the Democrat party now in control of the House of Representatives, and a lineup of committee chairpersons right out of […]

Electoral College

April 7, 2019 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Presidency

The Electoral College In the last segment I addressed the proposal by some candidates for the Presidency to pack the Supreme court. In this segment I will discuss the Electoral College. There are various proposals by the same candidates to modify it or eliminate it altogether. While any proposal to change the Constitution or amend it should […]

Packing the Supreme Court

March 24, 2019 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Judiciary / Presidency

Packing the Supreme Court or “The Switch in Time That Saved Nine” A number of the announced candidates for the democrat nomination for President, have proposed changes to the current structure of our government. Some are foolish, some wild, some weird, some have been tried before. Such as Packing the Supreme Court by adding more justices. One […]

NY Times Case

February 25, 2019 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Free Speech / The Press / Uncategorized

In this week’s segment of Cline on the Constitution I’m once again get distracted by the latest shiny object. The interruption of my series on voting rights continues so I can discuss Justice Clarence Thomas surprising call for the Supreme Court to reconsider the famous New York Times v. Sullivan case, a case which gutted slander […]

Emergency Orders

February 19, 2019 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Judiciary / Presidency

In this week’s segment of Cline on the Constitution, I decided to pause in my review of voting rights cases to consider the President’s recent actions concerning our Southern Border. The President’s declaration of an emergency and his orders to transfer funds to construct barriers on the Southern Border has generated extensive commentary on the […]

Category: Cline on the Constitution