Archive
An Overview of the Supreme Court’s Presidential Immunity Decision
July 1, 2024Trump v. United States Decided July 1, 2024 Question Presented Does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct involving official acts during his time in office, and if so, to what extent? Bottom Line Up Front The Supreme Court…
ACI Legal Briefs: City of Grants Pass v. Johnson
June 24, 2024Supreme Court Watch Argued April 22, 2024 Question Presented Does a city’s local ordinance banning public camping violate the 8th Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment? Statement of Facts and Procedural History Grants Pass is a city in Southern Oregon with about 38,000 people…
ACI Legal Briefs: Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo
June 17, 2024Supreme Court Watch Argued January 17, 2024 Question Presented Should the Supreme Court overrule its previous holding in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which requires deference to agency interpretation in the event of statutory ambiguity? If not, should the Supreme Court clarify that statutory…
ACI Legal Briefs: United States v. Rahimi
June 4, 2024Supreme Court Watch Argued November 7, 2023 Question Presented Does 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8), which prohibits the possession of firearms by persons subject to domestic violence restraining orders, facially violate the Second Amendment? Statement of Facts and Procedural History Zackey Rahimi was convicted of possessing…
ACI Legal Briefs: Trump v. United States
May 31, 2024Supreme Court Watch Argued April 25, 2024 Question Presented Does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct involving his official acts during his time in office, and if so, to what extent? Statement of Facts and Procedural History In August…
Homelessness before the Supreme Court
April 23, 2024On Monday, the Supreme Court heard arguments about the measures a city can take to prevent homelessness in a pivotal case called City of Grants Pass v. Johnson. Grants Pass is a city in Oregon of about 39,000 people, which banned camping on public property,…
Free Speech and Political Persecution at the Supreme Court
March 22, 2024On Monday, the Supreme Court heard arguments for NRA v. Vullo, a case in which the National Rifle Association (NRA) alleged that its free speech rights were violated, and it was being targeted for its political views. As a background to the NRA’s claim,…
The Supreme Court’s Ruling on the 14th Amendment Challenge to President Trump’s eligibility to appear on state ballots
March 4, 2024On Monday, the Supreme Court handed down a unanimous ruling in Trump v. Anderson that overturned the Colorado Supreme Court and rejected Colorado’s attempts to remove former President Donald Trump’s ability to appear on their state’s ballot for the presidential primary. The 14th Amendment…
Keep the Razor Wire Up on the Texas Border
January 31, 2024There is a crisis at our southern border due to President Joe Biden’s failed leadership. Since President Trump left office, upwards of 6 million illegal immigrants have entered our country (a number greater than the population of most U.S. states), putting a tremendous strain on…
Constitutional Interpretations
August 11, 2023Ever since the inception of our constitutional system, there have been a wide array of different theories regarding how the Constitution ought to be interpreted. Textualism—arguably the most basic theory—holds that one ought to interpret the Constitution solely by its text. Thus, textualism requires an…
What is an Amicus Brief?
July 31, 2023An amicus brief is a legal document that individuals or organizations submit to the court because they have an interest in the pending case, even though they are not directly a party to the case itself. The phrase “amicus brief” comes from the Latin word…
