Constitutional & Founding

No brief has been published on this topic yet.

The Founding Record

View all 57 the founding record →

The Acts Record

  • Authorization for Use of Military Force

    Sixty words, passed one week after 9/11 with a single dissenting vote. It has been cited more than forty times in eighteen countries and has never been amended.

  • National Emergencies Act

    Passed in 1976 to put emergency powers under congressional control. An emergency declared during the Iran hostage crisis has now been renewed every year for forty six years.

  • Espionage Act of 1917

    Named for espionage. It was used to imprison a presidential candidate for a speech against the draft, and it remains the statute used to prosecute leaks.

  • Communications Decency Act

    Titled for decency. Its decency provisions were struck down in 1997. What survived was Section 509, titled Online Family Empowerment, now the platform liability shield.

  • USA PATRIOT Act

    Named for patriotism. Section 215 authorized collection of business records without individualized suspicion.

  • FISA Amendments Act of 2008

    The name claims nothing. Section 702 authorized acquisition of communications content without a warrant, and three federal appeals courts upheld it.

View all 7 the acts record →

Books

View all 11 books →

Songs

View all 9 songs →