The Hudson Institute’s Christopher DeMuth writes in the Weekly Standard on the practical reality of ObamaCare as it is being implemented. Obamacare will never achieve its promise of affordable health care for all paid for with improved efficiencies in health insurance and medical care. The initial troubles and compromises have revealed that the program improves “access” mainly […]
Author Archive | Jonathan H. Adler
Study Linking GMOs to Tumors in Rats Retracted
In September 2012, Food & Chemical Toxicology published a peer-reviewed study purporting to show that rats fed genetically modified corn had a higher incidence of tumors than those that were not. This was significant, as this study was the first to find evidence of an adverse health effect in any mammal species from the consumption of GM […]
Frivolous Ethics Complaint Against Judge Sykes Dismissed
Last month, Rep. Louise Slaughter, Common Cause, and the Alliance for Justice filed an ethics complaint against Judge Diane Sykes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit claiming that she had violated the Code of Conduct for federal judges by speaking at the annual dinner of the Federalist Society. A similar complaint, […]
Politifact’s “Lie of the Year”
“If you like your plan, you can keep your plan” is Politifact’s 2013 “Lie of the Year.” That’s interesting, especially because Politifact previously rated this promise as “true” (when made during the 2008 campaign) and “half-true” (when made in 2009), and claimed challenges to this pledge in 2012 were “false” (here and here). Now, of […]
Notre Dame Refiles Suit Against Contraception Mandate “Compromise”
Yesterday, the University of Notre Dame re-filed its lawsuit challenging the contraception mandate “accommodation” offered to religious institutions by the Department of Health and Human Services. Notre Dame had filed suit before, but that suit was dismissed as the Administration had announced plans to adopt an accommodation for objecting religious institutions. The WSJ reports on […]
Federalism and Marijuana Event
Many constitutional conservatives were critical of the Supreme Court’s decision in Gonzales v. Raich, holding that the federal government’s Commerce Clause power could reach the intrastate use and possession of marijuana for medical purposes authorized under state law. Now that an ever-growing number of states has chosen to authorize marijuana use and possession — some […]
Another ObamaCare Delay: SHOP Exchange Enrollment
Politico reports: The Obama administration today announced a one year delay of online enrollment for small businesses looking to purchase health coverage through federal Obamacare exchanges, another high-profile setback for HealthCare.gov. It’s the second delay for online small business enrollment, which the administration had said would begin this month. . . . The administration originally […]
A Recount in Virginia?
CNN reports on a possible election recount in Virginia: The Republican in Virginia’s attorney general race will request a recount after the official results released Monday showed state Sen. Mark Obenshain behind Democratic state Sen. Mark Herring by a razor-thin margin of about .007%. Obenshain lost by 165 votes out of 2.2 million, marking the […]
Supreme Court to Hear Two Contraception Mandate Cases
This morning the Supreme Court agreed to hear two cases in which for-profit corporations are challenging the so-called “contraception mandate” under which employer-provided group health insurance plans are required to fully cover all FDA approved forms of contraception and sterilization. The two cases accepted for review are Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., in which […]
Who “Won” the Nuking of Filibusters?
Last week Senate Democrats voted to end filibusters of all executive branch and lower court nominees. The filibuster of Supreme Court nominees will almost certainly follow if and when there is a filibuster of a Supreme Court nominee. [That is, it will be eliminated as well.] Who wins and loses from this change in the […]
Ending the Filibuster — A View from the Bench
Senior district court judge Richard George Kopf comments on the end of judicial nomination filibusters on his blog, Hercules and the Empire. (Hat tip: How Appealing.) And for those who don’t have enough of my take on this issue, here’s a piece I had Friday on NRO.
Don’t Cry for Argentina (Again)
Argentina remains upset that some of its creditors are none too happy with the South American nation’s 2001 default on its debt obligations. As I noted here, some of Argentina’s creditors unhappy with the way in which Argentina sought to restructure its debt filed suit in the U.S. and prevailed, prompting Argentina to file multiple […]
Nukes for the NYT, But Not for Thee
In May 2005, the NYT editorial board insisted that the filibuster of judicial nominations was “part of the Senate’s time-honored deliberative role and of its protection of minority rights.” Invocation of the “nuclear option,” the Times insisted, would “desecrate” this tradition. “The damage would be incalculable,” the Times warned. Fast forward eight years and, as Patterico notes, the […]
Senate Goes Nuclear, Expect Fallout
As threatened, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid invoked the so-called “nuclear option” to end the filibuster of presidential nominations. The Washington Post reports: The vote to change the rule passed 52 to 48. Three Democrats — Sens. Carl Levin (Mich.), Joe Manchin III (W.Va.) and Mark Pryor (Ark.) — joined 45 Republicans in opposing the measure. Levin is […]
A Time to Go Nuclear?
In February 2003, Miguel Estrada became the first ever nominee to a federal appellate court to be successfully filibustered when a majority of Senate Democrats voted against cloture on his nomination. Estrada had been nominated to fill on a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and was widely seen as […]