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January 2019

Posted by Jared Samilow on January 16, 2019 36 Comments
In a long-awaited and predictable decision, Judge Jesse M. Furman in the Southern District of New York ruled Tuesday that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross violated federal administrative law when he decided to reinstate a citizenship question on the 2020 Census. Judge Furman, who was appointed by President Obama, barred the Census Bureau from inquiring about citizenship on census questionnaires anywhere in the country. There's a pretty good chance that this decision stands. 

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 15, 2019 21 Comments
On January 15, 2009, US Airways Captain Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City when the Airbus plane he was flying hit a flock of birds, lost engine capacity, and had to try an emergency landing. Not just any emergency landing. An emergency landing in the only place available, the Hudson River.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on January 15, 2019 15 Comments
Germany's biggest opposition party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), is pushing for the country to leave the European Union ahead of the EU parliament election. According to the manifesto drafted for the EU election scheduled for late May, the AfD called for Germany to leave the EU if party's demands for drastic reforms were not met. The reforms proposed by the party include abolishing the EU Parliament and giving control back to the national governments.

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 15, 2019 5 Comments
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is no stranger to racial controversy and it's nice to see the Republican party finally doing something about it. The Republicans have booted King from committees after he told The New York Times, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” From Fox News:
"We will not tolerate this type of language in the Republican Party ... or in the Democratic Party as well," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters. "I watched what Steve King said and we took action."

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 15, 2019 19 Comments
Legal insurrection readers will recall the historic wildfires of 2018, which included the destruction of Paradise and subsequent lawsuits filed against Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) by survivors. Now reports have  revealed that while wildfires raged, state lawmakers headed to Hawaii with utility company executives.
During the junket, representatives from utility companies discussed with the bipartisan group of lawmakers just how much responsibility they should bear for wildfires – even as Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) could be on the hook for several billions of dollars in damages for fires it caused over the past few years.

Posted by New Neo on January 14, 2019 20 Comments
The title of this article by Holman Jenkins intrigued me: "Politicians Never Lied Before Trump," and so I clicked on it. I was almost certain that the title was sarcastic---of course, politicians lie often, and have done so since time immemorial---and sure enough, the title was indeed meant as sarcasm. It seems completely obvious to me that one of the most common activities of politicians is to lie. To some extent, politics almost demands it, depending on how one defines "lie." Is a bragging exaggeration a lie? Is an optimistic promise a lie? How exaggerated does it have to be before it becomes a lie rather than mere hyperbole?
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