Analysis & Commentary
Checks & Balances
Dismantling the Imperial Presidency
Pragmatic incrementalism and studied bipartisanship will do little to undo the centerpiece of the Bush/Cheney era’s legacy. At its heart, that regime was intent on forcing the Constitution into a new mold of executive dominance.
Authored by: Aziz Huq
– 12/23/08
Justice Denied
The resignation of Alberto Gonzales has brought a smile to the faces of many Bush Administration critics, but will it bring real change? Unless the Senate Judiciary Committee seizes its chance in a new Attorney General’s confirmation hearings, the danger is that Gonzales’s exit won’t just leave Justice tarnished--it will also mean justice denied.
Authored by: Aziz Huq
– 08/27/08
FBI Seeks Sweeping New Powers
Lame-duck administrations with abysmal poll ratings and no legislative agenda attract little attention. But to ignore the Bush Administration at this point is perilous: in its waning days, the Administration is turning the Federal Bureau of Investigation into a domestic intelligence agency with sweeping powers to profile and spy on law-abiding Americans.
Authored by: Aziz Huq
– 08/22/08
Ends & Means in War Crimes Trials
Unpacking two war crimes trials presently taking place—former leader of Bosnia’s wartime Serb government, Radovan Karadžić, and Osama bin Laden’s alleged driver, Salim Hamdan.
Authored by: Aziz Huq and Garth Schofield
– 08/06/08
Perversion of Justice
A scathing report issued Tuesday by the Justice Department’s Inspector General confirmed what has been an open secret. The Bush Administration has wrongfully and illegally politicized the Justice Department on a systematic basis through hiring practices that improperly took political or ideological factors into account.
Authored by: Emily Berman
– 07/27/08
Michael Waldman on Dan Abrams
Dan Abrams discusses Karl Rove’s pending testimony scheduled for this Thursday with the Brennan Center’s Michael Waldman and former counsel to the House Judiciary Committee Julian Epstein.
– 07/08/08
Justice Scalia’s Dueling Opinions
Scalia’s opinion in the ruling overturning D.C.’s gun ban shows the flaws of his trademark judicial thinking. Especially since he marshaled nearly the reverse logic in his dissent to the Guantanamo detainee case.
Authored by: Aziz Huq
– 06/30/08
Emily Berman on the Firing of US Attorneys
Emily Berman on KUOW’s “The Conversation” discussing the firing of nine US attorneys and executive privilege.
– 06/23/08
Surveillance Bill: The Worst of All Worlds
Analysis of the just-passed “FISA Amendments Act of 2008” on The Nation’s web site.
Authored by: Aziz Huq
– 06/20/08
Aziz Huq on Boumediene v. Bush and Guantanamo’s Future
Brennan Center’s Aziz Huq appeared on Lawyer 2 Lawyer to discuss the recent SCOTUS decision in Boumediene v. Bush. Radio show posted to the Legal Talk Network on June 19.
– 06/19/08