Current Constitutional Issues | Close Up Foundation

Constitutional Issues Executive Branch Government & Elections Legislative Branch Partisanship & Polarization

Understanding the Current Impeachment Inquiry

October 15, 2019

In late September 2019, it was revealed that an officer at the Central Intelligence Agency filed an official complaint with the intelligence community’s inspector general, alleging that President Trump had engaged in an inappropriate phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky on July 25. The whistleblower alleged that President Trump threatened to withhold approximately $400 million […]

Religious Freedom or the Right to Discriminate?

August 22, 2019

On August 15, the Department of Labor published proposed changes that would expand federal contractors’ ability to claim a religious exemption to equal opportunity and anti-discrimination rules.1 The proposed rule change, as written, could allow employers with federal contracts to fire or refuse to hire LGBTQ employees, and could even be used to fire unmarried […]

ERA Won’t Go Away

February 20, 2019

“Yes Virginia, there is an ERA” “One State to 38!” These slogans adorned the banners and signs that ERA supporters brought to the Virginia State Capitol at the beginning of the General Assembly’s legislative session this January. ¹ ERA activists are hoping that this year’s session would include a floor vote on ratification of the […]

Congressional Term Limits: A Balance on a Check?

November 26, 2018

In this week’s blog post, we will explore an idea that is gaining some traction in the United States: term limits for members of Congress. New Kids on The Very, Very Old Block After attending orientation classes (yes, those are a thing) and being sworn in, freshman representatives and senators will take their seats next […]

Campaign Ads and Campaign Cash

October 31, 2018

The 2018 election is easily going to be the most expensive midterm election in history. There are estimates that campaigns, parties, and interest groups will spend about $5.2 billion by the time it’s all over—about 35 percent more than was spent on the 2014 midterms. Some of this money is spent on supplies, signs, the hiring of […]

Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16?

October 22, 2018

While many Americans are concerned about low rates of voter turnout, particularly among young people, there is growing evidence that voter turnout is not the only element of American democracy that shows signs of unhealthy behavior. Yoni Appelbaum argues in The Atlantic that “Americans Aren’t Practicing Democracy Anymore.” Appelbaum writes that democracy is an “acquired habit” that develops slowly […]

Current Issues Blog