US constitution and civil liberties

Justice on the Brink review: how the religious right took the supreme court

Linda Greenhouse does a fine job of raising the alarm about the conservative conquest and what it means for the rest of us – it’s a pity she does not also recommend ways to fight back

Charles Kaiser

21, Nov, 2021 @7:00 AM

Original copy of US constitution sold to unknown buyer for $43m

Buyer beats crowdfunded cryptocurrency group to secure one of 13 surviving prints from 1787

Harriet Sherwood Arts and culture correspondent

19, Nov, 2021 @1:38 PM

US citizens v FBI: Will the government face charges for illegal surveillance?

Muslim citizens are suing the FBI for subjecting them to undercover surveillance after 9/11 in violation of constitutional rights

Ed Pilkington

07, Nov, 2021 @10:00 AM

Misfire review: a bullseye from Tim Mak – but the NRA isn’t beaten yet

The NPR reporter has written an important book about the moral bankruptcy which put the powerful and merciless gun group on the back foot

Charles Kaiser

06, Nov, 2021 @6:00 AM

Supreme court, Facebook, Fed: three horsemen of democracy’s apocalypse | Robert Reich

These unaccountable bodies hold increasing sway over US government. Their abuses of power affect us all

Robert Reich

10, Oct, 2021 @5:00 AM

Texas doctor protests abortion law by admitting he carried out procedure

Alan Braid writes column for Washington Post describing the hardships and deaths he has witnessed among patients

Martin Pengelly in New York

19, Sep, 2021 @12:13 PM

‘America is not a perfect country’: David Rubenstein on Trump, Biden and a nation’s troubled history

In his new book of interviews with influential figures, the billionaire considers the health of US democracy and how it might withstand further attacks

Martin Pengelly

06, Sep, 2021 @6:00 AM

Battle for the Soul: can Joe Biden beat Trump’s Republicans in the war of words?

The president appeals to the ‘civil religion’ of Washington and Kennedy. His opponents use weasel words and seek to limit democracy. The stakes could not be higher

Michael Cornfield

08, Aug, 2021 @6:00 AM

The Engagement review: a tour de force on the fight for same-sex marriage

Don’t let the length or density of Sasha Issenberg’s new book put you off – it is a must-read on the fight for true civil rights

Michael Henry Adams

04, Jul, 2021 @6:00 AM

The Great Dissenter review: a superb life of John Marshall Harlan, champion of equality

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is not the only great supreme court justice to have made her name with dissent in the name of progress

John S Gardner

13, Jun, 2021 @6:00 AM

‘Disgusting slap in the face’: California governor slams judge as assault weapons ban overturned

Gavin Newsom responds after Judge Roger Benitez compares AR-15s to Swiss army knives ‘good for both home and battle’

Martin Pengelly and agencies

05, Jun, 2021 @7:53 PM

Supreme court justice Stephen Breyer: Democrats must ‘get Republicans talking’

As abortion rights case looms before 6-3 conservative panel, 82-year-old liberal touts belief in upholding precedent