In June 2013, Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF)'s case that ObamaCare violates the Constitution's Origination Clause. This clause reads, "All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of … [Read more...]
Restraining “Judicial Activism of the Most Pernicious Sort”
Randy Quarles | July 2, 2013
As Mark Twain said of the weather, people grumble a lot about federal courts, but nothing is done about them. For instance, when the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare’s individual mandate as a tax in June 2012, Jim Huffman, dean emeritus of Lewis & Clark Law School, complained the ruling was … [Read more...]
I Got More Guns Than the KGB
Dan Smyth | May 20, 2013
This month, an organization called Defense Distributed discovered how to “print” a plastic pistol that really shoots. Defense Distributed, which is dedicated to preserving the right to keep and bear arms, used a 3-D printer to read a real pistol’s electronic blueprint and print out a plastic … [Read more...]
The Origination Clause II: Die Harder with a Vengeance, ObamaCare!
Dan Smyth | April 25, 2013
A U.S. district court could soon decide if the Pacific Legal Foundation's (PLF) case against ObamaCare will continue in the U.S. court system. PLF alleges that ObamaCare is unconstitutional because it violates the Origination Clause, which reads, "All bills for raising revenue shall originate in … [Read more...]
O Hobby Lobby, Art Thou a Religious Employer?
Dan Smyth | January 3, 2013
Last week, Hobby Lobby, a Christian-owned chain, said it will defy the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)' contraception/abortifacient mandate. The owners, who oppose abortifacients but not contraceptives, claim that the abortifacient part of the mandate violates the owners' and … [Read more...]
Dear O’Brien: The Free Exercise Clause and Professing Catholicism
Dan Smyth | December 10, 2012
Is the contraception/abortifacient mandate, brought to us by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), doomed? Last week, a U.S. federal appeals court, in an order involving O'Brien Industrial Holdings v. HHS, spared O'Brien, a Catholic employer, from the HHS mandate for the appeal's … [Read more...]
