Cline on the Constitution

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 […]

Voting, Part Two

February 12, 2019 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Equal Protection / Federalism / Judiciary / Uncategorized

In Abbott v. Perez, The Supreme Court slapped a federal district court with a much-needed douse of cold water in an attempt to wake them up, force them to embrace reality for once and have them return to their lane in the governance scheme set out in the Constitution. Abbott is the second case on voting […]

Voting

January 29, 2019 by philcline in Bill of Rights / Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Uncategorized

This Week’s segment of Cline on the Constitution Voting The process of casting a vote is changing. Who, when, and how is an accident of location. It can be vastly different from state to state. The image of an adult citizen showing up at the polls on election day, being handed a ballot, retiring to the voting […]

Poetry in the Public Square

January 18, 2019 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Literary Writings / Poetry / Public Interest / Uncategorized

Is poetry a public or private thing? One’s love of country could be deliciously stirred by the magic of poetry: “This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, …………. This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England . . .” Historically western poetry concerned itself with […]

Cline on the Constitution Privacy of Cell phone data

October 15, 2018 by philcline in Bill of Rights / Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Privacy

I am back with a new segment of Cline on the Constitution. Took a little hiatus to explore the Mississippi via Paddle Boat. Great trip. I then monitored the resumption of hearings on Justice Kavanaugh. Much has been discussed about Due Process and the Presumption of Innocence. I won’t repeat the various arguments. […]

Privacy and Property

September 21, 2018 by philcline in Bill of Rights / Blog / Privacy

This week’s segment of Cline on the Constitution Privacy and Property One momentous decision of the Supreme Court’s last term involved cell-phone privacy. In Carpenter vs. U.S., penned by Chief Justice Roberts, the Court found that data collected from a cell phone that pinpointed a suspected robber’s movements over 127 days involving […]

September 2, 2018 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Judiciary

Justice Kavanaugh and Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie Tuesday morning the Senate will open hearings on the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. The candidate has lived an honorable life, is well liked, enjoys a reputation as a good and decent man, and is an experienced and imminently qualified jurist who […]

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