One third of Americans would accept a “TSA cavity search” in order to fly. (Jonathan Turley, via TSA News.) I’m not going to pretend that the Court of Criminal Appeals has much of a say about the Transportation Safety Administration, but anyone who thinks that the minimal and speculative danger of a terrorist attack is [...]
More than 42,000 people have signed a petition asking the White House to “Peacefully grant the State of Texas [the right] to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.” You don’t like what Washington is doing? You think we’re on the path to despotism? I agree. But the issue [...]
In 1836 Texas declared independence from Mexico and adopted a constitution. The Texas Constitution of 1836 included a “Declaration of Rights”: DECLARATION OF RIGHTS This declaration of rights is declared to be a part of this constitution, and shall never be violated on any pretence whatever. And in order to guard against the transgression of [...]
One million, three hundred twenty-six thousand, five hundred twenty-six: that’s how many votes I got in the race for Place Seven of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. That’s more votes than any other Libertarian candidate in Texas got. It is more votes than Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson got nationwide. I would not be [...]
“The Court of Criminal Appeals is more important to that element of the community that is going to be looking at jail time. But for the rest of us, it’s the Texas Supreme Court, because they handle civil matters,” [SMU political scientist Cal] Jillson [, who is frequently called upon by reporters for his astute [...]
To guard against transgressions of the high powers herein delegated, we declare that everything in this “Bill of Rights” is excepted out of the general powers of government, and shall forever remain inviolate, and all laws contrary thereto, or to the following provisions, shall be void. Texas Constitution of 1876, Art. 1, Sec. 29. In [...]
A high-school classmate of my wife’s, when told about my candidacy, said, “Why would I vote for a liberal?” She knows little about my politics, but this is a person who fancies herself a conservative (obviously) and anyone who disagrees with her a liberal. But what does her conservatism mean? She has a “Legalize the [...]
Who watches the watchmen? Who judges the judges With all of their humors and tantrums and grudges? When you don’t have a lawyer so they take back your bail, Who’s there to correct them? Who puts them in jail? Who reins them back in when they trample your rights? When they scurry in shadow, who [...]
I confess: I can’t think like a law professor. I can’t sustain interest in abstraction for long without bringing it down to the concrete, to where the abstraction affects or is affected by human beings, with their whims, desires, fears, and general messiness. So when I read Sanford Levinson’s post suggesting that a new Constitution [...]
2008 Court of Criminal Appeals election results: Place 3: Republican Incumbent 3,940,954 Democratic Candidate 3,477,426 Libertarian Candidate 215,427 Place 4: Republican Incumbent 4,035,683 Democratic Candidate 3,336,944 Libertarian Candidate 249,921 Place 9: Republican Incumbent 4,709,086 Libertarian Candidate 1,041,499 (Take from that what lesson you will about my chances of prevailing; clearly, the Libertarian candidate in a [...]