This is the picture of a two-year-old child crying as she and her mother are detained at the US-Mexico border. This is now the policy of the Trump administration. These “animals” continue to “infest” our country, so we must deter them by any means necessary. The New York Daily News put it best: “Callous. Soulless….
World Cup refereeing as constitutional interpretation
The World Cup is underway in Russia, and not a game goes by when I am not reminded of our very own US Supreme Court and how it interprets the Constitution. This cartoon from the Guardian neatly captures why: This is constitutional interpretation in a nutshell. (If you don’t believe me, read yesterday’s Gill v. Whitford decision…
Initial thoughts on Gill v. Whitford, the Wisconsin Gerrymandering Case
The US Supreme published its long-awaited decision in the Wisconsin gerrymandering case, Gill v. Whitford. Gill could have been a landmark decision about American Democracy. But the Court declined the invitation and sent the case back to the lower court to give plaintiffs the chance “to prove concrete and particularized injuries using evidence . ….
More on Cuba, North Korea, and Habana Libre
Yesterday, I asked: Could it also be that the blockade was never about human rights, and everything about the Habana Hilton and the sugar economy? Could it be that the blockade was all about regime change in the name of free markets for US interests? Let me be clearer: Yes. And yes. Making sense of…
Getting from North Korea to Cuba, one market at a time
President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un met in Singapore a few days ago and reached a “historic agreement” towards denuclearization. It is not a peace treaty, nor is it a comprehensive agreement for North Korea to dismantle its nuclear arsenal. But it is something, with the details left for another day. For these…
How do we make sense of Cuba (and Puerto Rico)?
Cuba y Puerto Rico son de un pájaro las dos alas, reciben flores o balas sobre el mismo corazón… I had thought about Cuba for a very long time, probably for as long as I can remember. When you grow up in Puerto Rico, Cuba is not the rogue nation that the United States…
What is Puerto Rico?
On Tuesday, a protest march in Puerto Rico’s financial district turned violent. The island appears to be in chaos and record numbers of residents are moving to the United States. The island’s financial health is dire, yet Puerto Rico is unable to declare bankruptcy under applicable federal laws. In response, the federally appointed PROMESA…
The intelligent man on the street takes a look at the travel ban
The US Supreme Court held oral arguments yesterday on President Trump’s travel ban. Under the ban, nationals from five predominantly Muslim countries (Iran, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Syria) as well as North Korea, Venezuela and Chad are restricted from entering the United States. The lower courts have been generally skeptical of the ban. Commentators generally…
Looking for Consistency in Chief Justice Roberts’ Chambers
Something is going on in the chambers of Chief Justice Roberts. Last October, in the oral argument for Gill v. Whitford, the Wisconsin political gerrymandering case, the Chief Justice provocatively explained that “if you’re the intelligent man on the street,” you will know that the case will come down to the fact that the Court…