A friendly Reminder

It’s the Season of Giving As we approach Thanksgiving and the month of giving, we reflect on the importance of community, generosity, and the preservation of our cherished values. At the Institute on the Constitution (IOTC), we are deeply grateful for the support of our donors—big and small—that enables us to advance our mission: to restore the Constitutional Republic through grassroots education, from a Biblical World View . Why Your Support Matters The IOTC is dedicated to

Do you try to get out of jury duty? Have you considered how important jury duty is? What would America be like if people put as much effort into understanding jury duty as they do getting out of it? Most of us have had the experience of picking up the mail, only to get that small pit in our stomach. Maybe we utter a curse or two and immediately begin thinking of ways to get out of it. The piece of mail that has caused these reactions is a jury summons. Almost no one looks for

Are you as sick and tired of the constant drum beat of being told how important this election is? Tired of constantly being harassed to register and vote? Have you taken the time to consider just how much power you can wield with your vote? Election day is just one week away. I’m sure many of you, like me, are ready for this election season to be over. For more than a year we’ve been hammered, badgered, and generally harangued with the idea of how important it is to vote. How

Law enforcement has to have probable cause to get an arrest warrant, right? Can someone sue for malicious prosecution if there was not probable cause for all of the charges in a warrant? Are malicious prosecution and a Fourth Amendment violation mutually exclusive? How far can law enforcement go when it comes to arresting someone? For example, if police have probable cause to charge you with a misdemeanor, how far can they “bootstrap” that charge into something more serious?

You have the right to remain silent, correct? SCOTUS says you don’t have the right to remain silent unless you say so. Do you find it ironic that you have to speak to remain silent? Everyone knows we have a right to remain silent, correct? What if I told you that in 2013 the Supreme Court upheld a decision basically stating that is not true. You only have the right to remain silent if you verbally claim the right in the first place, otherwise, according to SCOTUS, your silenc

Are there limits to the powers of a federal agency? When Congress created OSHA, did they follow the Constitution? While the Supreme Court failed to take the time to consider these questions, We the People should. Was the Occupational Safety and Health Administration properly created? Was the grant of authority Congress gave the agency constitutional and valid, or did Congress create an overpowered agency to micromanage businesses throughout the United States? That is the ques

At church on Sunday, I was having a conversation with a young man who was complaining about the Godless legislation that has been coming out of our State legislature regarding “gender reassignment treatments”. After him stating that he thought it demonic that they would even consider something like that without the consent of the parents he said, “This State is going to Hell and there’s nothing we can do about it”. I replied,” that’s what happens when we elect godless people

Are AR-15s the super lethal weapon it’s often described as? Does the Second Amendment mean what it says? Can a court simply state that certain arms aren’t covered by the Second Amendment without any evidence? There are plenty of myths that revolve around the Second Amendment. It’s only meant for the militia, or for hunting, or some weapons are just too dangerous, are only a few. When we read the Constitution, along with just a tiny bit of research into the Bill of Rights, the

It’s never fun to be pulled over by the police, especially if you are legally carrying a firearm. Does the mere legal possession of a firearm qualify as probable cause for law enforcement to search your vehicle. If an officer searches you and your vehicle due to the legal possession of a firearm, are they entitled to qualified immunity? Encountering law enforcement can be a nerve wracking situation, even if you’ve done nothing wrong. Imagine you’ve been pulled over to safely

Under what conditions can you legitimately lose your right to keep and bear arms? If you wanted to challenge federal law that prohibited your right to keep and bear arms, would you want Zackey Rahimi to be the face of your case? The case Rahimi v. United States challenged 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(8) which prohibits someone subject to a domestic violence protection order from possessing a firearm. There’s an adage in the legal profession: “Hard cases make bad law.” It can also be sai

DOJ has charged numerous January 6th defendants with corruptly impeding the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. Furthermore, SCOTUS found that the DOJ was wrong to file those charges. What does this SCOTUS decision mean for the other J6 defendants? After the January 6th riots the U.S. Department of Justice began charging anyone they thought had participated, but not just for the crimes they committed. According to the DOJ, anyone who showed up at the Capi

Arguably the most anticipated free speech case to make it to the Supreme Court in decades, people have been waiting for the decision in the case Murthy v. Missouri The states of Missouri, Louisiana, and five individuals sued multiple Biden administration officials for violations of free speech and the First Amendment. According to SCOTUS, government actors can coerce social media to censor ideas they don’t like, as long as they aren’t too specific about who to censor. The Fir

Authored By: Mike Sonneveldt It seems as though Donald Trump and Elon Musk draw lightning no matter where they go. Put them into the same space and suddenly the whole world draws near to see the fireworks. And like clockwork, discussions swirl around free speech .    Monday night, X Spaces hosted a conversation between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. 2.1 million people listened in, while the post itself gathered over 54 million views. While these numbers are impressive, the numb

• Can an executive agency act as judge, jury, and enforcer of their own rules? • How important is your right to a trial by jury? • Can Congress overrule the Seventh Amendment by simple legislation? Seeking redress of our grievances is an important right, protected by the First Amendment. Can the federal government deprive you of due process as a condition of seeking redress? While not talked about in that way, that’s pretty much what the case SEC v. Jarkesy is all about. Afte

Authored By: Mike Sonneveldt If you haven’t been keeping up on the news in the UK, you may want to take a look. While we have stock market crashes, war between Iran and Israel, elections heating up, and Olympic boxing controversies, we may learn a couple of lessons from the chaos unfolding over in England.   What Happened in the UK? A 17-year-old boy is being accused of stabbing three little girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport.   Axel Rudakubana is current

Chevron Deference has been the bane of the constitutional community for decades. The decision in Chevron directly violated the Administrative Procedures Act, but that didn’t stop the courts from allowing executive agencies from rewriting laws. While Loper overturned Chevron, I have to wonder if allowing the courts to “fill in the blanks” will be any better? There are certain legal terms and cases that most people don’t know about, at least until they’re used to bite someone i

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount He states,  “You are the salt of the earth; … You are the light of the world.”  (Matthew 5:13–14). Often, well-meaning believers invoke this passage as a means of encouragement and prodding others to step up to the plate and affect the world.  In this study, I desire to provide you with a greater understanding of the Greek verb that Jesus uses.  “   You are”  is not an imperative command; it is an indicative verb. This distinction is very importa

There are two sexes: male and female.” — Judge Reeves While this basic biological fact seems to have been lost by society, at least one District Court judge knows the truth. Does the language of the law matter? Or do we expect courts to simply make it up as they go along? Rarely does a single sentence so completely crystalize a debate as the first line of the court order in Tennessee v. Cardona. The case involves the attempts by the Biden Administration’s Department of Educat

What would a parent do to protect their child? Who should be the final arbiter of what’s best for a child, the parents or the school? Should schools be required to notify parents of any substantial medical or mental changes in the child? Probably the most powerful instinct as a parent is to protect our children. Parents work hard, sacrifice, and sometimes risk their own lives to protect their children. Most parents believe the government is there to help them protect their ch

An ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for leaders of both Israel and Hamas. Judge Merchan concluded a biased case with biased jury instructions. Does anyone else see that these cases have a common theme? Late May in the United States is usually a time of cook-outs, the beginning of summer, and remembrance as we memorialize those who gave their lives in service to this country. Later May 2024 however, should be remembered for another death: The death of courts of justice. Fi