Free Republic

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., has a message for the “anonymous” person who made a “credible threat” against his family: “You will not intimidate me.” Still, the Wisconsin Republican says the specificity of the latest threat against his wife, children, and grandchildren forced him to cancel an online town hall session last week and miss several votes as he rushed back to his southwest Wisconsin home to make sure his loved ones were safe. Van Orden said the letter, sent to his Washington, D.C. office, was immediately reported to the appropriate authorities. The lawmaker’s congressional colleague, Rep. Bryan Steil, a...

A “credible threat” made against Rep. Derrick Van Orden's family prompted the Wisconsin Republican to miss votes on Wednesday and reschedule a town hall event. "Rep. Van Orden will be missing votes tomorrow and rescheduling his upcoming town hall due to a credible threat made against his wife, children, and grandchildren," the congressman's press office said in a statement on X. "The threat was delivered via a letter to his D.C. office and has been reported to the appropriate authorities. "No elected official, regardless of political party affiliation, should have to worry about the safety of their family while serving...

*** … April’s Wisconsin Supreme Court race between conservative Brad Schimel and Susan Crawford — a race that will determine ideological control of the court in a pivotal swing state. Crawford, a far-left circuit court judge, and Wisconsin Democrat Party Chairman Ben Wikler (who just finished second in the contest for national Dem chair) invited high-profile supporters to a “donor advisers briefing” with the subject line “Chance to put two more House seats in play for 2026.” *** [T]he briefing was arranged by aides for megadonor Reid Hoffman, who has given nearly $15 million to Wisconsin Democrats in recent years....

...We need to restore the original definitions of "law," "establishment," and "religion" in the First Amendment. A monument or display could never be a "law," the mere posting or installation of it is not an "establishment," and the recognition of God by the public display of the Ten Commandments is not "religion." After all, the original definition of the word "religion" -- the duties we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging those duties -- which was recognized by the Supreme Court years ago, acknowledged God and a higher law. ...[I]t should be clear that, as Justice Antonin...

RULINGS IN THE U.S. SUPREME COURT'S TEN COMMANDMENTS CASES June 27, 2005 In different rulings, the justices ban displays of the Ten Commandments at courthouses, but allow them to be placed on government land. The Courthouse Ruling: Opinion (McCreary County v. ACLU)http://laws.findlaw.com/us/000/03-1693.html The ACLU's Attorneyhttp://pview.findlaw.com/view/3433759_1 Attorney for Liberty Counselhttp://pview.findlaw.com/view/1438042_1 Case Dockethttp://rd.findlaw.com/scripts/nl.pl?url=11198556000_nl The Government Land Ruling: Opinion (Van Orden v. Perry)http://laws.findlaw.com/us/000/03-1500.html Attorney for Texashttp://pview.findlaw.com/vie

Suing the jingle bells off everyone this side of the North Pole has tradition ally been the ACLU's favorite form of seasonal joy.... The civil-liberties group hasn't lost its passion for secularism, but this year's litigation news is being made by a different group of plaintiffs.... An ACLU legal bulletin claims that Supreme Court doctrine on the Establishment Clause forbids not only state practices that "aid one religion . . . or prefer one religion over another," but also those practices that "aid all religions" and thus endorse or prefer religion over nonreligion." That dubious reading has found some support...