The Constitutional Studies Center combines careful, objective scholarship into the original understanding of the Constitution with advocacy for human freedom under law. It produces books, issue papers, articles, and legal briefs reporting the results of its research. Since 2010, the Center has had enormous influence on constitutional law cases and commentary, but also on policy makers and grass roots activists. For example, the Center’s research findings galvanized the massive and growing “Article V” movement to restore constitutional limits on the federal government.
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Must the Federal Government Honor an "Equal Protection" Rule?0
- August 4, 2013
Does the Constitution require the federal government to afford “equal protection of the laws?” At first glance at the Constitution’s text, it would appear not. There is no general Equal Protection Clause in the Constitution applying to the federal government—although there are a lot of clauses requiring equal treatment in specific situations. The Equal Protection
READ MOREThe Supreme Court’s Latest Voting Rights Case0
- July 28, 2013
(This is the last of five commentaries on recent Supreme Court decisions.) The Fifteenth Amendment, adopted five years after Civil War ended, was designed primarily to secure the right to vote for newly-freed slaves. Section 1 of the Amendment provides that “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied
READ MOREThe Defense of Marriage Act Case: A Carcass for Constitutional Vultures0
- July 21, 2013
(This is the fourth of several short commentaries on recent Supreme Court decisions.) U.S. v. Windsor—the case in which the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)—is a carcass from which constitutional flesh-pickers will feast for a very long time. It is one of those cases like Dred Scott v. Sandford or
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Breakdown in the Americans’ Respect for the Rule of Law?0
- July 16, 2013
Some commentators and compilers have sensed what they believe is a weakening of the rule of law in the United States. I’ve documented an example in one state. Conduct surrounding the George Zimmerman case provides additional cause for concern, including prejudicial comments by President Obama and rioting subsequent to acquittal. To his credit, President Obama
READ MOREJustices Make It Tougher for State Universities to Discriminate, But Not Tough Enough0
- July 4, 2013
(This is the third of several short commentaries on recent Supreme Court decisions.) The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Fisher v. University of Texas has made it tougher for state universities to run their ethnic spoils systems. But not tough enough. First, the background: The Fourteenth Amendment requires states to extend “equal protection of the
READ MOREDo the Feds Belong in Indian Adoption Law? (Together with another Natelson citation in the Supreme Court and an acknowledgment of Lisa Morris)0
- July 3, 2013
(Note: This is the second of several short commentaries on recent Supreme Court decisions.) There is little more heart-rending than the sorrow of a child. The sorrow of a child—and of her adoptive parents—created one of the Supreme Court’s more compelling cases this term. I was happy to be cited extensively in one of the
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Contact
Rob Natelson, Senior Fellow, Constitutional Jurisprudence
Email: rob.natelson1@gmail.com
Phone: 303-279-6536, ext 114