Free Republic

He hardly ever speaks during oral arguments, often appearing asleep on the bench. But in his written opinion Monday supporting the right to bear arms, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas roared to life. Referring to the disarming of blacks during the post-Reconstruction era, Thomas wrote: "It was the 'duty' of white citizen 'patrols to search negro houses and other suspected places for firearms.' If they found any firearms, the patrols were to take the offending slave or free black 'to the nearest justice of the peace' whereupon...'" --snip-- Thomas made no mention of the black loss of life and liberty...

CHICAGO—The day after the Supreme Court cleared a path to overturn this city's ban on handguns—among the toughest in the U.S.—frustrated city officials began Tuesday to consider new measures to circumvent the high court's ruling. At a tense City Hall meeting packed with citizens holding up photos of children who'd been shot, city aldermen discussed forcing gun owners to purchase liability insurance and to undergo criminal background checks and periodic firearms training. They also peppered a firearms-law expert and Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis with questions while promising to pass something meaningful. If the city can pass a dog ordinance...

"It depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is." William Jefferson Clinton, 1998 testimony to the Grand Jury on the question of his relationship to Monica Lewinsky prior to his impeachment It should not be lost on any of us that the recent Supreme Court decision in McDonald v. Chicago was more than a referendum on our right to bear arms, it was confirmation of the critical importance of the Fourteenth Amendment to the protection of our individual rights. In particular, the Privileges or Immunities Clause and the Due Process Clause. In short the court held that the...

On his radio show yesterday, Al Sharpton surprisingly reveals an overwhelming support for Supreme Court Second Amendment decision in the black community. Sharpton: "I would say 90% of the calls I received yesterday were in support of the Supreme Court and people say they want to bear guns. They’re tired of the violence and it’s very very interesting. I have had a few on both sides today, but yesterday was overwhelming, it was stunning to me." Political correctness has masked the true intent of big city Democrat mayors for their support of gun control. Quite frankly it is and has...

Poll Do you agree with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision about gun rights? Yes No or view results Thank you for your vote. Yes 78% No 21% It's at bottom of page 1

Can we stop pretending that liberal jurisprudence is anything but warmed over politics in a judicial robe?  Yesterday's decision by the Supreme Court in McDonald v. Chicago proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the left-leaning justices will vote what they believe regardless of what a law's intentions were.  Concepts like 'stare decisis' (the legal principle that obliges judges to respect precedents established by prior decisions) that were so important during the confirmation hearings of Justice Roberts, mean nothing to the sitting liberal justices.  Each of the left leaning judges voted as if The District of Columbia vs Heller...

One of the most illuminating questions in respect of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the right to keep and bear arms is whether it should be applauded by the liberals or by conservatives — or both. The court, in a case called McDonald v. Chicago, followed a ruling two years ago, in a case called District of Columbia v. Heller, in which the court said that the federal government could not infringe the rights vouched safe by the Second Amendment. In the latest case it extended that logic, deciding that the Second Amendment does apply to the states and municipalities....

I’ve been interested in the Second Amendment for a long time, but for a long time, it wasn’t really part of the Constitution. Oh, I mean it was part of the Constitution — right there between the First Amendment on one side, and the Third Amendment (the only part of the Bill of Rights that really works — when did you last hear of troops being quartered in someone’s house?) on the other. But in “mainstream” constitutional discourse, it just didn’t exist.... /////

In a sharply divided 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that state governments are not able to ban most Americans from owning most types of handguns. The majority decision, written by Justice Samuel Alito, stated that firearms are "essential for self-defense." Predictably, gun control advocates bemoaned the ruling. But the court's decision is not just correct on constitutional grounds. It will help make the country safer. Another View The gun pushers lobby must be disappointed, since the Supreme Court ruling continues to allow for a wide variety of reasonable gun laws, says Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Center...

Hard on the heels of yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling in McDonald v. Chicago that the Second Amendment to the US Constitution protects an individual right to bear arms for self-defense and that the right thus protected is incorporated against state and local governments, Chicago Mayor Daley expressed his contempt for both the Court and the citizens whose rights he has trampled.

Second Amendment advocate and author John Lott was on Coast to Coast last night to discuss the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision recognizing the individual right of citizens to own guns but he stressed that a change in the balance of power on the court could change all that. Accordingly, he stressed the need for an informed electorate at the ballot box to ensure that only Presidents and Senators are elected who will appoint and confirm pro-Second Amendment judicial nominees. He mocked President Obama's professed commitment during his campaign to support gun rights but who then in office appointed Sotomayor to...

Yesterday the Supreme Court overturned the previous judgments in McDonald v City of Chicago, a case brought in opposition to Chicago's ban against citizens' possessing handguns. The ruling was cheered by Second Amendment rights advocates and a collective sigh of relief was exhaled by all those who cherish the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. But there was bad news amidst the good. The ruling was 5-4. According to the opinion published by the Court yesterday, Mr. McDonald, the petitioner argued that his "right to keep and bear arms is protected by the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth...

The Supreme Court yesterday gunned down the Windy City's attempt to undermine the Second Amendment rights of its residents. In the closely divided McDonald v. Chicago decision, the justices expanded on 2008's District of Columbia v. Heller ruling by making it clear that the right of the people to keep and bear arms applies in all 50 states, not just federal enclaves like the District. Law-abiding gun owners can find a lot to celebrate in this decision. Nonetheless, the court left a number of unsettled issues that will form the new battleground for gun rights for years to come. The...

Now that the Supreme Court of the United States has decided that the Second Amendment to the Constitution means that individual Americans have a right to bear arms, what can we expect? Those who have no confidence in ordinary Americans may expect a bloodbath, as the benighted masses start shooting each other, now that they can no longer be denied guns by their betters. People who think we shouldn't be allowed to make our own medical decisions, or decisions about which schools our children attend, certainly are not likely to be happy with the idea that we can make our...

On Monday morning, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case of McDonald v Chicago, a follow-on case to the Heller case in which the Court ruled that the right to keep and bear arms is an individual, not a collective, right. Following Heller, Chicago and a few other localities argued that since that case had been about the District of Columbia's ban, it was not clear that the Court's ruling applied to states and other non-federal territory. With its 5-4 decision in McDonald, the Court says that the right applies everywhere in the U.S., that the right...

When the Supreme Court extended the individual right to own a gun Monday, they handed Second Amendment advocates—many of whom are at home in the GOP—one of their most significant legal victories ever. But who won the day in politics? The Democrats. For them, the court’s groundbreaking decision couldn’t have been more beneficial to the cause in November. Now, Democratic candidates across the map figure they have one less issue to worry about on the campaign trail. And they won’t have to defend against Republican attacks over gun rights and an angry, energized base of gun owners. “It removes guns...

WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court ruled for the first time that gun possession is fundamental to American freedom, giving federal judges power to strike down state and local weapons laws for violating the Second Amendment. In a 5-4 ruling, the court held that the Second Amendment's right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right that binds states. "Self defense is a basic right, recognized by many legal systems from ancient times to the present day," wrote Justice Samuel Alito. He was joined in reaching the result by Chief Justice John Roberts and justices Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas....

Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, made the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the McDonald v. City of Chicago case that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms to citizens in all 50 states. "This is a critical victory for the Constitution and the freedom guaranteed by the Second Amendment for individual Americans to keep and bear arms," said Senator DeMint. "Our freedoms have been under attack by big government liberals for decades, but today the Supreme Court rightly based their decision on the Constitution...

As expected, Mayor Daley and Chicago's City Council are circling the wagons to defend against an unfavorable decision by the Supreme Court concerning the city's gun ban. Daley said the city would have in place a new ordinance aimed at making it difficult to purchase and own a gun in Chicago. "We'll publicly propose a new ordinance very soon," Daley said at an afternoon press conference concerning the gun ban. "As a city we must continue to stand up ..and fight for a ban on assault weapons .. as well as a crackdown on gun shops," Daley said. "We are...

Second Amendment: In the "living Constitution" era, the Supreme Court rediscovers original intent and rightly rules that the right to bear arms applies to all Americans just as the rest of the Bill of Rights does. It's hard to conceive how the justices could have decided otherwise. But by the narrowest of margins — 5-4 — they have reaffirmed that keeping and bearing arms is an inalienable and individual right like speech and religion, and that it applies to all individuals as the Founding Fathers intended. Why anyone thinks the Second Amendment does not apply to all Americans is a...