Constitutional Law Overview
Constitutional Law Resources
What is constitutional law?
Generally, constitutional law is the foundation of all law in a specific jurisdiction. It establishes governmental authority and power, as well as limitations and grants of rights. The Constitution of the United States established a system of government and serves as the primary source of law. While each individual state has its own constitution, "Constitutional law" generally refers to such law of the federal government.
Show Extended SummaryFeatured Cases 
- Yoder, et al v. Town of Morristown, et al
New York Northern District Court
Plaintiff
Filed: January 6, 2009
Plaintiff: Levi Yoder, Jonas Zook, Sam Zook, John L. Hershberger, Menno S. Hershberger and others...; Defendant: Town of Morristown, Lanetta Kay Davis, Frank L. Putman, Howard Warren, David Stout, III and others...
Last Docket Report Change Found: April 21, 2009
(April 20, 2009) - NEWDOW et al v. ROBERTS et al
District of Columbia District Court
None
Filed: December 30, 2008
Plaintiff: MICHAEL NEWDOW, ELLERY SCHEMPP, MEL LIPMAN, DAN BARKER, ANNIE-LAURIE GAYLOR and others...; Defendant: JOHN ROBERTS, JR., PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL COMMITTEE, JOINT CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE ON INAUGURAL CEREMONIES, DIANNE FEINSTEIN, ARMED FORCES INAUGURAL COMMITTEE and others...
Last Docket Report Change Found: April 20, 2009
(April 19, 2009) - Kings English, The et al v. Shurtleff et al
Utah bookstores, artistic and informative websites, Internet service providers and national trade associations challenged of state law restricting children's access to material on the Internet.
Utah District Court
Constitutional - State Statute
Filed: June 9, 2005
Plaintiff: Kings English, The, Kings English, The, Kings English, The, Kings English, The, Kings English, The and others... Defendant: Mark Shurtleff, Mark Shurtleff, Von J. Christiansen, Von J. Christiansen, N. George Daines and others...
Last Docket Report Change Found: April 19, 2009
(April 18, 2009) - J.S. et al v. Blue Mountain School District et al
Plaintiff J.S., a minor, sued Defendants Blue Mountain School District, Superintendent Joyce E. Romberger and Principal James S. McGonigle. Plaintiff alleged that the school's discipline for creating a false internet profile purporting to be her school principal violated her civil rights.
Pennsylvania Middle District Court
Civil Rights: Other
Filed: March 28, 2007
Plaintiff: J.S., Terry Snyder, Steven Snyder; Defendant: Blue Mountain School District, Joyce E. Romberger, James S. McGonigle
Last Docket Report Change Found: April 17, 2009
(April 16, 2009) - Public Citizen, Inc. et al v. Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board et al
Plaintiffs challenged the constitutionality of amendments to the lawyer advertising provisions of the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct and alleged that the bar to a wide range of common advertising practices, such as the use of testimonials, actors, reenactments and dramatizations, violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Louisiana Eastern District Court
None
Filed: September 23, 2008
Plaintiff: Public Citizen, Inc., Morris Bart, Morris Bart L.L.C., William N Gee, III, William N. Gee, III, Ltd.; Defendant: Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, Billy R. Pesnell, Charles B Plattsmier
Last Docket Report Change Found: April 15, 2009
(April 14, 2009)
Legislation 
- Bill Introduced: H.Con.Res.415 Celebrating 75 years of effective State-based alcohol regulation ...
Celebrating 75 years of effective State-based alcohol regulation and recognizing State lawmakers, regulators, law enforcement officers, the public health community and industry members for creating a workable, legal, and successful system of alcoholic beverage regulation, distribution, and sale.
(September 14, 2008) - Bill Introduced: S.3501 OLC Reporting Act of 2008
A bill to ensure that Congress is notified when the Department of Justice determines that the Executive Branch is not bound by a statute.
(September 14, 2008) - Bill Introduced: H.Res.1417 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that all ...
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that all public elementary schools and public secondary schools should display a copy of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
(September 6, 2008) - Bill Introduced: S.3433 Iraq Security Agreement Act of 2008
A bill to ensure that any agreement with Iraq containing a security commitment or arrangement is concluded as a treaty or is approved by Congress.
(July 30, 2008) - Bill Introduced: S.Res.626 A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the Supreme ...
A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the Supreme Court of the United States erroneously decided Kennedy v. Louisiana, No. 07-343 (2008), and that the eighth amendment to the Constitution of the United States allows the imposition of the death penalty for the rape of a child.
(July 23, 2008)
Articles 
- Trespassory Art
University Michigan Journal Reform, Vol. 43, 2010, U Iowa Legal Studies Research Paper No. 09-17 Randall P. Bezanson and Andrew Finkelman University of Iowa College of Law and affiliation not provided to SSRN Date Posted: April 24, 2009 Last Revised: April 24, 2009
(April 23, 2009) - Warrantless Wiretapping, FISA Reform, and the Lessons of Public Liberty: A Comment on Holmes' ...
California Law Review, Vol. 97, No. 407, 2009 Paul M. Schwartz UC Berkeley School of Law Date Posted: April 24, 2009 Last Revised: April 24, 2009
(April 23, 2009) - Election Administration Reform and the New Institutionalism
California Law Review, Forthcoming, Loyola-LA Legal Studies Paper No. 2009-17 Richard L. Hasen Loyola Law School - Los Angeles Date Posted: April 24, 2009 Last Revised: April 24, 2009
(April 23, 2009) - Rights, Remedies and Facial Challenges
36 Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly, Vol. 36, p. 611, 2009 Maya Manian University of San Francisco School of Law Date Posted: April 24, 2009 Last Revised: April 24, 2009
(April 23, 2009) - The Conflict of Laws and Boumediene V. Bush
Creighton Law Review, Vol. 42, No. 1, 2008 Patrick Joseph Borchers Creighton University School of Law Date Posted: April 24, 2009 Last Revised: April 24, 2009
(April 23, 2009)
News 
- Is News Sentinel "violating" First Amendment rights?
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN
Commenters on our Web sites like to accuse the News Sentinel of violating their First Amendment rights whenever their comments are deleted, as several were on a recent story about a gay-rights demonstration. ."...it seems that it's just not the ...
(April 23, 2009)
Lez Get Real
Second Amendment Rights in the Wild West
Town Hall, DC
by Meredith Turney It may seem utterly impossible, but a fairly decent ruling regarding the Second Amendment came from a California court this week. The San Francisco-based Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals actually ruled that private citizens can ...
California Gun Decision Muddies 2nd Amendment Waters Atlanta Journal Constitution
Lawsuit Could Lead to Gay Marriage in Louisiana Lez Get Real
all 4 news articles
(April 23, 2009)
KYW1060.com
Federal judge weighs Philadelphia tour guide law
The Associated Press
But none of those regulations has been challenged on First Amendment grounds, said McNamara, who works for the Arlington, Va.-based Institute for Justice. McNamara suggested a voluntary certification program would not infringe free speech rights, ...
Philly Tour Guides Go To Court Over Licensing CBS 3
Federal judge weighs Philadelphia tour guide law Delaware County Daily Times
all 91 news articles
(April 23, 2009)
Journal-Advocate
The Second Amendment and the sport of revisionism
Journal-Advocate, CO
People too young or too mentally limited to know the basic purpose of the second amendment have used this glorious new electronic communication device to expound at great length on everything remotely concerned with firearms. ...
(April 23, 2009)- Lenders Reject Jarden's First Amendment Proposal
Credit Investment, NY
Lenders did not approve an amendment proposal for Jarden Corp. by the commitment deadline last Thursday. The amendment, launched out of Deutsche Bank, sparked controversy as the company said it planned to repurchase its debt at a discount using a ...
(April 23, 2009)
Blog Posts 
- Trying to "Get" Hillary Clinton, Mona Charen Contradicts Her Statistics
Conservative writer Mona Charen tries to pull a "gotcha" on Hillary Clinton, saying that Clinton could not "defend" Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood who advocated abortion, in part, on racist grounds (i.e., it could prevent more undesirables from being born). Some conservatives believe that Sanger's bigotry delegitimizes abortion rights, apparently because: Sanger = abortion = racism. I have debunked a similar argument elsewhere: Pro-Life Race Card: Anti-Choice Activists Blow...
(April 23, 2009) - To Investigate or Not? The Torture Debate Heats Up
Yesterday, the New York Times reported that Senate Democrats had joined Republicans and would oppose proposals for a Congressional investigation concerning the use of torture during the Bush administration. According to the New York Times article, President Obama also opposes the investigation, arguing that it would distract attention from his policy agenda. But Obama's opposition to the investigation is consistent with his general disagreement with the Left regarding punishment for Bush-era...
(April 23, 2009) - Absolute Madness: Federal Government Forced Bank of America to Buy Merrill Lynch
The Washington Post reports that former Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke forced -- or pressured -- Bank of America to go through with a deal to purchase failing investment bank Merrill Lynch. Bank of America entered into an agreement to purchase Merrill in September 2008, and stockholders approved the transaction in December. But Merrill's value depreciated significantly before the transaction was completed, and Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis said he...
(April 23, 2009) - Today at the Court
The Justices are scheduled to hold a private conference this morning, any grants from which could be announced this afternoon. We will provide coverage of any developments. To view our list of petitions to watch at today's conference, click here.
(April 23, 2009) - Help Wanted: Afghanistan, Many Civilian Jobs Available
Apparently, the job market is booming in Afghanistan, even if it is faltering in the United States. According to an Associated Press article, the government needs civilian workers to assist with "reconstruction and development issues." Here's a clip: [The government] said last month it would send several hundred citizens, from agronomists to economists, to work on reconstruction and development issues as part of the military's counterinsurgency campaign. That has proven to be difficult, and the...
(April 23, 2009)