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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: constitution

constitution stories: 29 news summaries

1 - 20 of 29 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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Nothing Wrong With Czars, Experts Testify

But GOP's Collins vows to keep the 'issue' alive with more hearings

Oct 7, 09 7:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - The anti-czar crusade hit quite the speed bump yesterday, when five constitutional scholars testified in a Senate hearing that it was indeed perfectly legal for the president to have policy advisers. They said the principle dated back to FDR and that, assuming the czars didn’t have any actual legal... More »

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Barack Obama • constitution • Susan Collins • czar • constitutional law • Obama administration

 Montana May Be 1st 
 to Make Suicide a Right 

If affirmed, state would be first to guarantee right constitutionally

Sep 1, 09 11:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Montana Supreme Court tomorrow will take up the issue of—and likely affirm the right to—assisted suicide, the New York Times reports. The case is being brought on behalf of Robert Baxter, who died last year from leukemia after fighting for the right to end his own... More »

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Montana • privacy • assisted suicide • constitution • constitutionality • Montana Supreme Court • Robert Baxter

(Newser) - There’s a lot at stake in the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings, writes Ross Douthat in the New York Times, because the Supreme Court isn’t just a court. It’s “gradually become a kind of extra legislative body—a nine-person super-Senate graced with the power of the... More »

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constitution • judicial • US Supreme Court • Ross Douthat • Sonia Sotomayor

Brown to Purge Cabinet After Expenses Flap

Scandal-hit ministers face axe as PM plans government overhaul

May 21, 09 7:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - Gordon Brown has been dropping hints of a major reshuffle and possible constitutional reform as the crisis over British MPs' expenses continues. The Telegraph alleged today that two ministers fiddled with the rules to avoid paying capital gains tax after selling their homes. The PM is said to be preparing... More »

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United Kingdom • Gordon Brown • Labour • constitution • inappropriate expenses • Peter Mandelson • expenses

(Newser) - The tense peace between Myanmar’s military rulers and various armed ethnic groups may fracture into war next year when the government implements a controversial new constitution, the New York Times reports. The constitution requires the rebels to disarm, without granting them the de facto autonomy they currently enjoy in... More »

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civil war • war • constitution • drug trade • Myanmar • Burma • ethnic conflict • jade • weapons • timber

 Chavez Seeks 
 Power Until 2021 

Launching new constitutional battle on term limits

Dec 1, 08 8:15 AM CST
(Newser) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is again maneuvering to stay in power for at least another decade, the BBC reports. Chavez plans to seek a constitutional change that will allow him to seek re-election indefinitely, he told a weekend rally. Chavez lost a referendum just a year ago on a series... More »

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Venezuela • constitution • Hugo Chávez • referendum • term limits • United Socialist Party

Calif. Dems Urge State Court to Dump Gay Marriage Ban

Supporters call move a 'hail mary'

Nov 11, 08 10:04 AM CST
(Newser) - Democratic legislators in California have filed a brief calling on the state Supreme Court to reject a ballot proposition that would ban gay marriage in the state, the Los Angeles Times reports. The measure, Proposition 8, passed by some 500,000 votes. The lawmakers argue that such sweeping change would... More »

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gay rights • California • gay marriage • constitution • state legislature • California Supreme Court • Proposition 8

OPINION

 Dowd: Bring in 
 Obama's Cleaning Crew 

Obama can restore the capital's brilliance, writes Times columnist

Nov 6, 08 8:11 AM CST
(Newser) - For Maureen Dowd, the election of Barack Obama means more than just an end to the Bush years; it's a chance for Washington itself to regain its moral standing. Outside the White House on election night—"there was no U-Haul in the driveway"—the New York Times columnist... More »

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Barack Obama • Washington DC • White House • constitution • monument • Maureen Dowd • Abraham Lincoln • President Obama

 Court Boots Thai PM 
 Over Cooking Show 

Samak forced to resign as protests continue in Bangkok

Sep 9, 08 6:19 AM CDT
(Newser) - Thailand's supreme court has ruled that the prime minister and his government must resign, declaring that his participation in a TV cooking show violated the constitution. The unanimous ruling comes as opponents of Samak Sundaravej continue to occupy Government House in Bangkok, reports the AP. While Samak may seek a... More »

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Thailand • cooking • Bangkok • constitution • Samak Sundaravej • constitutionality • television personality • People's Alliance for Democracy

Cooking Show Could Cost
Thai PM His Job

Ruling tomorrow on Samak's TV work
could ease unrest

Sep 8, 08 3:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - Thailand’s prime minister could be forced from his post tomorrow, the Guardian reports—not by protesters who have taken over government offices, but by a court ruling that hosting a TV cooking show was unconstitutional. Samak Sundaravej, 73, hosted Tasting, Grumbling, for years before being elected, appeared a handful... More »

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television • Thailand • cooking • constitution • lawsuit • prime minister • Samak Sundaravej • protesters • Thai protesters

Sarkozy 's Reform Bill Passes By a Hair

Move to rewrite French constitution has critics crying 'monocracy!'

Jul 22, 08 9:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the passing yesterday of a constitutional reform, fulfilling a key campaign pledge. The overhaul of parliamentary and executive powers passed in the assembly and senate by a single vote, capturing 539 votes when it needed 538, the BBC reports. The opposition says the change will... More »

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Nicolas Sarkozy • France • constitution • political reform • executive power

Citizen Glitch Makes Mac Ineligible to Be Prez: Expert

He's no natural-born American, prof argues

Jul 11, 08 3:21 AM CDT
(Newser) - John McCain does not meet the constitutional requirement to be president because he's technically not a natural-born US citizen, a legal professor has concluded. But the expert, who focused on an obscure 1937 law that made McCain a citizen in the months after his birth in the Panama Canal Zone,... More »

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John McCain • citizenship • constitution • US citizenship • Panama Canal Zone

Opinion

 Real Patriots Criticize
 the Government 

American ideals more important than scare of the minute

Jul 4, 08 6:50 PM CDT
(Newser) - Patriotism is the word of the day, but what does it mean? For Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it means fighting for your country’s ideals. "I believe I'm lucky to be an American because our founding document embraces the revolutionary idea that any citizen should be able... More »

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constitution • civil rights • freedom of speech • patriotism

 Hand of US Neocons 
 Seen Behind Irish 'No' 

Some suggest meddling in referendum that has Europe in disarray

Jun 25, 08 4:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - Pro-Europeans are claiming that American neoconservatives helped bankroll an effort to convince Irish voters to reject a key treaty, Der Spiegel reports. "Europe has powerful enemies on the other side of the Atlantic, gifted with considerable financial means," a French minister said after Ireland's thumbs-down roiled the continent.... More »

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European Union • Europe • France • constitution • Ireland • neocon • Lisbon Treaty

 Punditry for the Playgroup Set 

Goodnight Bush parody 'brilliant,' though copyright might be an issue

Jun 16, 08 4:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - The cover is a dead ringer for the bedtime classic, and the point of Goodnight Bush is equally recognizable. In authors' Erich Origen and Gan Golan’s re-purposing of Goodnight Moon, Dubya snuggles into bed wearing a “Mission Accomplished” flight suit, in the company of “war profiteers giving... More »

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Bush administration • constitution • bedtime • children's books • story • George W. Bush • Little, Brown • Goodnight Moon

 Myanmar Junta Claims
 Win on Constitution 

Anti-government groups enraged by timing of announcement

May 15, 08 7:22 AM CDT
(Newser) - Burmese voters overwhelmingly approved a constitution legitimizing military rule, the junta announced to widespread skepticism today. The vote held Saturday did not include two cyclone-ravaged areas where aid to victims is still largely being blocked by the government, but state media said those votes couldn't change the outcome. Turnout elsewhere... More »

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cyclone • constitution • Myanmar • Burma • junta • referendum • Cyclone Nargis

 Burma Votes
 Amid Cyclone Chaos 

Junta ignores calls to delay vote and focus on helping cyclone victims

May 10, 08 6:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - Burma plowed ahead with a referendum on its constitution today despite cyclone devastation that has left much of the country in ruins, AFP reports. The junta has postponed the vote for two weeks in the worst-hit areas, including the capital and the Irrawaddy delta, where hundreds of thousands have been... More »

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cyclone • constitution • Myanmar • Burma • Aung San Suu Kyi • junta • Rangoon • referendum • Cyclone Nargis

Good Sex Heats Up Politics in Ecuador

Lawmaker wants women's satisfaction protected by law

May 3, 08 4:28 PM CDT
(Newser) - Politics are getting steamy in Ecuador these days. Maria Soledad Vela, a member of the nation's ruling party, wants to give Ecuadorian women the right to seek sexual happiness. Her proposal is sparking controversy in the conservative country, where women are traditionally seen as sexual objects or child bearers, the... More »

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women's rights • sex • sex education • constitution • Ecuador

Former Ally Now Rivals Chavez

Ex-defense minister pressed Chavez to admit referendum defeat

Dec 24, 07 6:05 PM CST
(Newser) - An ex-ally has become a formidable rival for Hugo Chavez after the president's defeat in a constitutional referendum that would have given him more power and the right to unlimited reelection. The Wall Street Journal explores the career of Raul Baduel, Chavez’ former friend and defense minister, who protected Chavez... More »

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communism • Venezuela • socialism • constitution • Hugo Chávez • referendum • Raul Baduel

Constitutional Changes Spark New Battles in Pakistan

Opponents vow to undo Musharraf's revisions

Dec 16, 07 4:27 PM CST
(Newser) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf just retired his army uniform, but he should prepare for a fight, the AP says, as Nawaz Sharif's opposition group plans to reverse constitutional revisions he made before lifting emergency rule yesterday. Musharraf imposed limits on the press, sealed the retirements of Supreme Court judges, and... More »

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Pakistan • constitution • Benazir Bhutto • Pakistan Supreme Court • Nawaz Sharif • emergency rule • martial law • Pakistan elections

1 - 20 of 29 Stories | 1 2 Next >>


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