Law and Justice

U.S. Constitutional Issues

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The U.S. Constitution, along with the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments, establishes the framework of America’s tripartite government and delineates powers among the three branches, and between the federal government and the states. Brookings experts offer their ideas on important policy issues that, fundamentally, are constitutional questions.

REUTERS/Gary Cameron - Voting rights activists gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington February 27, 2013

Paper | Strengthening American Democracy

Shelby County v. Holder and the Future of the Voting Rights Act

August 9, 2013, Nathaniel Persily and Thomas E. Mann

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder, the Brookings Institution assembled leading scholars and practitioners of election law to discuss the future of the Voting Rights Act. In this paper, Nathaniel Persily and Thomas Mann summarize the views presented at the conference and explore possible responses to the Shelby County decision.

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    If the president could get something from Congress on a compromise, he might take that, but instead, since he’s not getting much of anything from Capitol Hill, he essentially is taking everything he wants, and the unilateral actions let him do that in a pretty substantial way.

    October 29, 2012, John Hudak, The Washington Times

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    Whether you agree with it or not, the Supreme Court has become almost as much a political institution as it is a legal one...For one, the cases that come before the Court are very often politically charged. Furthermore, you have nine justices that are there for life and can, for all intents and purposes, act with impunity

    October 1, 2012, Russell Wheeler, Erickson Tribune

  • Interview | NPR

    Interpreting the Constitution in the Digital Era

    November 30, 2011, Jeffrey Rosen

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    @ Brookings Podcast: Redistricting for Political Gains

    April 29, 2011, Thomas E. Mann

  • Interview | The Diane Rehm Show

    Redistricting and the United States Constitution

    March 22, 2011, Thomas E. Mann, Sean O'Brien and Nate Persily

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