The Fugitive Slave Clause is found in Article 4, Clause 3 of the Constitution, which states that “No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Ian’s legal fact of the week
Signed into law in September 2018, the Pro Bono Work to Empower and Represent Act of 2018 (POWER Act), requires the chief judge in each judicial district to hold one or more events annually to promote free legal services to … Continue reading
The case of In re Gault (1967) extended Miranda rights to juveniles. However, recent studies show that approximately 90% of juveniles waive their Miranda rights during custodial interrogations, despite serious concerns that many are not capable of knowingly waiving those … Continue reading
Intellectual Property fans will rejoice in knowing that one of the two longest English words with no repeating letters is ‘uncopyrightable‘. The other, also 15 letters long, is ‘dermatoglyphics‘ (the study of skin patterns). This also has a legal connection, since the … Continue reading
The Child Labor Amendment is an unratified amendment proposed in 1924, which would grant Congress the authority to regulate the labor of children under the age of 18. It was ratified by 28 states, the last in 1937, and is … Continue reading
The last amendment sent to the states for ratification was the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment, a failed amendment that would have given D.C. full representation in Congress, in the Electoral College, and in the Constitutional amendment process. It was … Continue reading
The President is given the pardon power under Article II, section 2 of the Constitution, which states that the President “shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment”. Presidential pardons are … Continue reading
As the Constitution does not specify the size of the Supreme Court, Congress has the authority to do so. The Judiciary Act of 1789 set the number at 6 justices, although it has ranged from a low of 5 (in … Continue reading
The 19th amendment to the Constitution, which granted women the right to vote, was originally introduced in Congress in 1878 but was rejected by the Senate. It was reintroduced in 1918 but failed. It was approved by both houses of Congress in 1919 … Continue reading
In 1971 a plaintiff filed a pauper’s suit in U.S. District Court, on behalf of himself and all other similarly situated, against Satan and his servants. Plaintiff alleged that Satan had “threatened him, caused him misery, impeded his course in … Continue reading
Two of America’s most famous “founding fathers” are not signatories to the Constitution: Thomas Jefferson, who was serving as ambassador to France; and John Adams, who was serving as ambassador to Great Britain.
In June of this year the Supreme Court altered the online retail landscape in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. (2018). In a 5-4 decision, the Court overruled Quill Corp. v. North Dakota (1992), which held that the Dormant Commerce Clause prevented states … Continue reading