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Supreme Court Ruling Says You Can’t Search Cell Phones Without a Warrant

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In a landmark decision issued June 25, the Supreme Court decided it's unconstitutional in most instances for police to search a person's cell phone without obtaining a warrant. The decision was issued in response to two separate cases brought to the Court – Riley v. California and United States v. Wurie. Both cases dealt with the question of whether or not searching a person's … [Read more...] about Supreme Court Ruling Says You Can’t Search Cell Phones Without a Warrant

Deeply Divided Unanimous Court Strikes Down NLRB Recess Appointments

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Today, the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in NLRB v. Noel Canning. The Court invalidated three of President Obama's appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an administrative body that regulates labor disputes and that has become a hotbed of bipartisan struggles over the roles and powers of labor unions. On its surface, the decision … [Read more...] about Deeply Divided Unanimous Court Strikes Down NLRB Recess Appointments

Democrats’ panic time? Odds increase that Republicans will win Senate

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For months, as pundits suggested the Senate was poised to be taken over by the Republicans in 2014, some Democrats suggested there really was no need to panic. Now it sounds as if Democrats feel it's time to panic: it's sinking in that Tuesday night's election results suggest Democrats can't rely this year on madcap Republican candidates to chase voters to them or on President … [Read more...] about Democrats’ panic time? Odds increase that Republicans will win Senate

Same-Sex Marriage Poised for Supreme Court Decision

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Yesterday, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of a federal district court in Utah that Utah's ban on same-sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution. We hold that the Fourteenth Amendment protects the fundamental right to marry, establish a family, raise children, and enjoy the full protection of a state’s marital laws. A state may not deny the … [Read more...] about Same-Sex Marriage Poised for Supreme Court Decision

The top 10 movie opening scenes (part 2)

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8 The Lion King (1994) This one nearly didn’t make the list because… well to be honest, I almost forgot. The Lion King stage show has overshadowed the film somewhat over the past couple of years, and for good reason – it is fantastic. The opening to the stage show is enough to turn any black hearted man into a Disney loving kid but it is easy to forget where … [Read more...] about The top 10 movie opening scenes (part 2)

Thad Cochran’s Democratic Campaign

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WASHINGTON -- "There is something a bit strange, there is something a bit unusual about a Republican primary that's decided by liberal Democrats." The words of Chris McDaniel, the tea party candidate vanquished in Mississippi's runoff on Tuesday by Sen. Thad Cochran and the state's GOP establishment, were not the most gracious. But they contained an important truth … [Read more...] about Thad Cochran’s Democratic Campaign

Night Of The Incumbents

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Last night was a good night for incumbents. Thad Cochran, widely written off as doomed, managed to beat Tea Party challenger Chris McDaniel. His victory was partly attributed to cross over support from black voters but he also benefited from higher turnout among his supporters. Some of McDaniel's supporters aren't giving up so easily though. I don't expect McDaniel to run … [Read more...] about Night Of The Incumbents

Will Amazon Take A Hit On J.K. Rowling’s Latest?

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The Silkworm, a new detective novel by Robert Galbraith, is the guaranteed hottest bestseller of the summer. If you've never heard of Galbraith, try J.K. Rowling, who has now written two books under that nomme de plume since publishing the last book of her wildly popular Harry Potter series. But what makes the buzz over this book different than the usual reviews of … [Read more...] about Will Amazon Take A Hit On J.K. Rowling’s Latest?

Supreme Court Recognizes Privacy Challenges of Smart Phones

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After a long wandering though a Luddite universe populated by caselaw addressing typewriters and copper-wire telephone communications, the U.S. Supreme Court finally moved into the smartphone era with a unanimous decision in Riley v. California. The Court ruled that cell phones seized by police during an arrest may not be searched without a warrant. In reaching its … [Read more...] about Supreme Court Recognizes Privacy Challenges of Smart Phones

The Real 2016 Battle is Between Dick and Rand

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The Real 2016 Battle is Between Dick and Rand By Dick Polman It's not exactly the Ali-Frazier "Thrilla in Manilla," but the ongoing Rand Paul-Dick Cheney pugilism certainly packs a punch. The libertarian ophthalmologist and the warlord emeritus have been pounding each other for months, and while it's tempting to just kick back with popcorn and behold the entertainment, … [Read more...] about The Real 2016 Battle is Between Dick and Rand

Cochran wins in Mississippi: So how’s the “Tea Party industrial complex” doing today?

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Bit of a problem there, wouldn't you say? Looks as a bad as Rove's American Crossroads did in the 2012 election. Koch & Co -- aren't they a major part of the tea party industrial complex? -- wound up with --uh oh! -- Thad Cochran. "In Mississippi," Molly Ball points out, "challenger Chris McDaniel failed to dethrone six-term incumbent Senator Thad Cochran in the second … [Read more...] about Cochran wins in Mississippi: So how’s the “Tea Party industrial complex” doing today?

Federal Judge Rules That No-Fly Lists Are Unconstitutional

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There is progress in fighting one of the post 9/11 actions which infringe upon civil liberties without showing meaningful benefit in fighting terrorism. A federal judge in Oregon has ruled that the no-fly lists are unconstitutional as they lack a meaningful mechanism to appeal being placed on a list: The U.S. government's no-fly list banning people accused of links to … [Read more...] about Federal Judge Rules That No-Fly Lists Are Unconstitutional

The top 10 movie opening scenes (Part 1)

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I wanted to do this list for quite a while because I think the importance of a strong opening scene/ sequence is something that gets overlooked. The first impression a film makes is super important and some of the best films of all time are built on the strength of their opening gambit. So here are my top 10 openings which have knocked my socks off. I’ll be spreading these over … [Read more...] about The top 10 movie opening scenes (Part 1)

Video Animation: Egypt sentences Al Jazeera journalists for doing their job

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Taiwanese animators NMA have again have produced a kind of video animated cartoon editorial, ripped from the headlines. This one: on Egypt sentencing Al Jazeera journalists for being...journalists. In Chinese with subtitles. NMA's lead in: Egypt has sentenced two Al-Jazeera journalists to seven years in prison and another to 10 years. Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and … [Read more...] about Video Animation: Egypt sentences Al Jazeera journalists for doing their job

Why Conservatives Hate Obamacare

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Jonathan Chait writes that the Republicans have finally admitted why they oppose Obamacare. The bulk of his article is a useful recap of many of the Republican claims which have turned out to be untrue. Republicans claimed that Obamacare is mainly signing up people who already had insurance, but actually 57 percent of those who enrolled on the exchanges previously lacked … [Read more...] about Why Conservatives Hate Obamacare