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Two federal district courts are expected to rule on the constitutionality of ag-gag laws, laws which make it illegal for undercover investigators -- often from established animal rights groups -- to enter agricultural operations under false pretenses and make audio or video recordings documenting animal abuse. A coalition of animal rights groups, including the Center for Food Safety and the Animal Legal Defense Fund, joined the American Civil Liberties Union and nearly a dozen other litigants i

It is no surprise that the indefatigable Ralph Nader -- lawyer, author, consumer advocate, and five-time presidential candidate -- possesses a vision for how to energize and mobilize an electorate that feels increasingly dissatisfied and disempowered. His latest effort, Unstoppable, is essential reading for those who still believe in the self-correctability of our inherited constitutional system. It is for those who resist the easy escape of cynicism, resignation, and withdrawal on the one hand

For the 46.5 million Americans living below the poverty line, 16 million of which are children, life has become a consistent struggle. This struggle does not simply begin and end with monetary concerns, but in fact surrounds both a physical and mental exertion of the individual.Using the national U.S. census and NCCP, researchers found that in 2013, the poverty line rested at $11,490, a number which equates an individual working full time while only making $5.00 – far below the national minimum

On Friday, Kentucky U.S. Senator Rand Paul became one of the highest-profiled elected Republicans to speak out against voter identification laws. "Everybody's gone completely crazy on this voter ID thing. . . . I think it's wrong for Republicans to go too crazy on this issue because it's offending people," Paul said at a gathering of black pastors in Memphis, Tennessee. This represents a slight modification in Paul's position. In 2013, Paul spoke at Howard University, an historically black co

A national discussion regarding the state of civil rights in the U.S. exploded after racial comments made by Clippers owner Donald Sterling were made public, followed by news that he has been banned for life from the NBA.However, another story broke on the same day NBA Commissioner Adam Silver held his press conference that might be even more important for the future of civil rights in the country: a federal court struck down Wisconsin’s voter ID law. The law first passed in 2011, as a measure

Not to sound cliché, but it’s that time of year again. The Tax Man is coming to take a portion of your hard-earned money and put it toward improving the nation. Taxes are inextricably linked to the size of government and what the federal power brokers hope to accomplish in the following fiscal year. These are just a few of the major proposals to simplify the tax code. It may not ever be as simple as allowing Americans to “fill out taxes on postcard,” as U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has proposed

It seems that in every cycle there is debate about which states should hold the first presidential primary elections. Some state always seems to try to jump ahead of Iowa and New Hampshire. Since 1972, the Iowa Caucuses have been first in the nation and New Hampshire has been the first "primary" since 1920. There, of course, have been states that have attempted to circumvent Iowa and New Hampshire, claiming that they don't truly represent America as they are small states with seemingly narrow

The late, great comedian George Carlin once said “if you vote, you have no right to complain .” There are two problems with that: voter disenfranchisement and ballot access for political parties. Nothing will change if not enough people vote, but if the options in the voting booths are also limited, the problem gets worse. Ballot access is complicated because it varies state-by-state, but the fact that people are complaining about their lack of ability to vote for the party of their choosing i

One of the biggest ballot access fights going on right now is in Tennessee, where third parties are challenging heavy restrictions which prevent voters from having more options at the ballot. According to the Nashville Post, candidates from the major political parties only need 25 signatures to gain access to the ballot. However, "candidates wanting to run with a third-party label need more than 40,000 signatures, enough to equal 2.5 percent of the votes cast statewide in the last gubernatorial

If the media coverage of shutdown politics is to be believed, House Republicans' fear of 'getting primaried' by a more conservative opponent was a major impediment to moderate GOP-ers reaching a bargain with Democrats on healthcare and federal spending. However, a survey of new fundraising reports received this week  -- compiled using Sunlight's Realtime FEC tracker -- shows that incumbent Democrats are also facing credible challenges from within their own party. Money isn't everything in these