Constitutional & Legal Educational News
“It is the role of judges to apply, not alter, the work of the people’s representatives.” Circuit Judge Neil Gorsuch, January 31, 2017 (After his nomination on January 31, 2017, Neil Gorsuch was confirmed by the Senate on April 7, 2017. The title of this piece was altered to reflect that.) Over the next few […]
At the time of his inauguration, the ninth US President, William Henry Harrison was 68 years, 23 days old. He was the oldest person to assume the office. On March 4. 1841 Harrison’s Inaugural Address, at 8,445 words, taking one hour and 45 minutes remains the longest in history. Harrison’s service as president, which ended […]
Many states are either updating or passing new laws regarding civics education for their K-12 students. For example, Illinois’ new civics graduation requirement goes into effect for incoming 2016-17 high school freshman and South Carolina’s new law specifically requires study of America’s Founding Principles and Documents. The renewed interest in formally educating American students on […]
Paul Revere’s famous ride[1] on April 18, 1775, roused the Minute Men and eventually by the evening of April 19th 3,716 enrolled militia would engage 1,934 British troops in the first military encounter of the American Revolution. The “shot heard round the world” [2] was much more than a single shot. “The best estimate of […]
The second week of May is National Nurses Week. The week recognizes the contributions to the quality of our lives brought by those engaged in the caring and compassionate profession of nursing. Nursing was recognized as a profession in its own right due to the hard work of many women, aptly described as Founding Mothers. […]
While the Declaration of Independence is revered for its eloquence, and inspirational philosophies, in the most straightforward sense it is a legal documents written by a lawyer and approved by lawyers. Of the Declaration’s signers 25 of 56 were lawyers. Of the non-lawyers, they rest were in business and active in public affairs. The statistics […]
Both President Obama and the Supreme Court have been described as “lawless” in respect to the Constitution. That description addresses actions perceived to be outside the authority granted to them by the Constitution. With such criticisms, what might Americans have to look forward to in respect to the constitutional rule of law in a new […]
The preceding Part I and Part II, containing Exhibits A through G overwhelmingly establish the laser-focus of the Compact for America approach on advancing and ratifying a specific amendment is four-square what the Founders expected from Article V. Simply put, the Founders clearly meant for the Article V convention’s agenda to be set in fine detail […]
This the second in a series of articles that examine the Founders’ opinions on how the Article V Convention process should have clear focus. The US Constitution’s Article V provides two methods for proposing constitutional amendments. The Compact for America is an initiative to employ the method that has not been used: a convention of […]
David Shestokas is an attorney licensed in IL and FL and author of Constitutional Sound Bites .
He earned his B.A. in Political Science from Bradley University and J.D. from The John Marshall Law School, cum laude, while serving on the The John Marshall Law Review. He studied law at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.
For Spanish speakers he and Dr. Berta Isabel Arias offer a Spanish language translation of Constitutional Sound Bites: Cápsulas Informativas Constitucionales .
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Cápsulas Informativas Constitucionales follows the tradition of informing citizens about the country’s founding documents in their native languages. In 1787, one third of Pennsylvania’s residents were German speakers. Accordingly, of the 4500 copies of the proposed Constitution that legislature ordered, 1500 were in German. Everyone understands important ideas best in their native language, and Cápsulas Informativas Constitucionales recognizes the importance of making available America's First Principles to 36,000,000 Americans.
Thomas Jefferson and I Need Your Help!
Never thought I would write about the connections of Adolf Hitler, Benedict Arnold and Thomas Jefferson, but they have come together in my life. Here’s how the world’s most infamous murderer, America’s most famous traitor and the author of the Declaration of Independence have become connected, and how you can help to separate them. Like […]