Tag Archives: Supreme Court

Supreme Court spectacles, football, and same sex marriage

Posted on March 26, 2013 by David S. Meyer

No one should think that the oral arguments conducted today and tomorrow in the Supreme Court–or the decisions the Court will issue this spring–will resolve the evolving politics of gay marriage, and gay rights more generally.  The spectacle of the … Continue reading →

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Coming out and opinion change

Posted on March 16, 2013 by David S. Meyer

Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, has announced a change of position on same sex marriage, presumably following a change of heart.  (Of course, it could go the other way as well.)  Senator Portman, formerly President George W. Bush’s … Continue reading →

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Bloody Sunday and the uses of history

Posted on March 3, 2013 by David S. Meyer

History isn’t just telling stories about the past; for most of us, it’s about making sense of the present.  Politicians, pundits, and activists invoke their understandings of the past to try to affect the future. This Friday, March 7, marks … Continue reading →

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Tracing the progress of same sex marriage

Posted on December 14, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Molly Ball’s excellent article in The Atlantic traces the development of the ongoing campaign for marriage equality.  Ball notes that 2012 was a watershed for the gay rights movement; after losing in state referenda 31 times, advocates of gay marriage … Continue reading →

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Rights and facts on the ground

Posted on June 29, 2012 by David S. Meyer

The Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the Affordable Care Act means that Governor Mitt Romney, by campaigning to repeal the Act, is promising to take health insurance away from 30 million people, none in Massachusetts.  This is far tougher than … Continue reading →

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Court ruling an opportunity and a test for Tea Party

Posted on June 28, 2012 by David S. Meyer

When the Supreme Court announced the constitutionality of the Affordable Health Care Act this morning, it sounded a trumpet calling the Tea Party to arms.  Can the movement respond effectively?  Will Tea Partiers reinvigorate the movement which has become, basically, … Continue reading →

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The Phelps Family and the Supreme Court

Posted on March 2, 2011 by David S. Meyer

The Supreme Court ruled today that vicious anti-gay rhetoric, deployed at unrelated events, was Constitutionally protected (8-1, Justice Alito dissenting). The tiny Westboro church, comprised mostly of Pastor Fred Phelps and his family, pickets military funerals and other public occasions, … Continue reading →

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Strong Tea

Posted on December 14, 2010 by David S. Meyer

Rep. Michele Bachmann, founder of the Tea Party Caucus in the House of Representatives, promised that she would provide classes on the Constitution for her colleagues, particularly her newest colleagues.  And there are plenty of them in the next Congress.  … Continue reading →

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