- How Legislation Is Brought to the House Floor: A Snapshot of Parliamentary Practice in the 112th Congress (2011-2012), CRS Report R43039, April 15, 2013 (14-page PDF
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- The STOCK Act, Insider Trading, and Public Financial Reporting by Federal Officials, CRS Report R42495, April 12, 2013 (13-page PDF
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- Trends in Discretionary Spending, CRS Report RL34424, April 15, 2013 (38-page PDF
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- Secret Sessions of the House and Senate: Authority, Confidentiality, and Frequency, CRS Report R42106, March 15, 2013 (11-page PDF
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4th Amendment
“Proper Etiquette for When You’re Under Arrest”
From “Proper Etiquette for When You’re Under Arrest” by Adam Martin, The Atlantic Wire, April 6, 2012 #1: Be polite, respectful, and professional with the cops, even if they’re being jerks to you. #2: Don’t say anything to the cops that you don’t have to. #3: Answer the questions they need to process you. #4: … Read more
Depositions in Congressional Testimony
Under certain circumstances, congressional committee staff members may choose to depose potential witnesses and scheduled witnesses. The purpose of such depositions is to gather information in order to prepare for a hearing. This is more common in investigative hearings. photo credit: Vincent van der Pas Formal in nature, such questioning of a witness is the … Read more
Civil Asset Forfeiture – “Policing for Profit”
Arresting Your Cash: How Civil Forfeiture Turns Police Into Profiteers The Washington Post has an interesting report about the huge amount of money that Fairfax County spends to go after gambling. The story cites critics who ask “why law enforcement spends valuable time and money on combating sports gambling.” The answer is obvious … Read more
10 Rules for Dealing with Police
10 Rules for Dealing with Police (Full-Length) 10 Rules for Dealing with Police – “10 Rules for Dealing with Police, the new film from Flex Your Rights, premiered at Cato earlier this week. If you’re interested in knowing more about how to defend your rights during encounters with law enforcement, this is a … Read more
The Constitution of the United States: Amendment 4 (Fourth Amendment – Search and Seizure)
The Constitution of the United States: Amendment 4 (Amendments 1-10 are known as the Bill Of Rights) (4th Amendment) Amendment IV. (Search and Seizure) The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon … Read more
“You were always free to go.”
Advocates of liberty and limited government should not concede the concept of “law and order” to those who engage in “excessive use of police powers.” Those who actually believe in law and order would hold police and prosecutors, as well as criminal suspects, to the rule of law; and that seems to be what the … Read more