All articles tagged with #constitution
Italy votes on a constitutional reform pushed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to overhaul the judiciary; a “yes” could boost her mandate, while opponents warn it threatens democracy. The reform would separate career paths for judges and prosecutors and create new disciplinary bodies, with turnout and public understanding shaping the outcome and Meloni's political standing.
Kazakhstan is holding a referendum to approve a new constitution that would widen the powers of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, signaling a major shift in the country’s political system.
Defense Department CTO Emil Michael said Anthropic’s Claude AI models would pollute the defense supply chain due to baked-in policy preferences, justifying a supply-chain-risk designation that could jeopardize hundreds of millions in contracts. Anthropic has sued the Trump administration to overturn the designation, arguing it is unlawful and harms its business. The designation requires contractors to certify they don’t use Claude; Anthropic has published Claude’s constitution, describing how it shapes the model’s safe and ethical behavior. Despite the blacklist, Claude has been used to support U.S. military operations in Iran, and the DoD says a transition plan is in place to move away from Anthropic, noting the change cannot be done overnight.
Voters in Switzerland approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to use cash (franc banknotes and coins), with 73.4% in favor. The move, championed by the Swiss Freedom Movement, aligns Switzerland with Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia in protecting cash as a legal right, amid a broader push toward digital payments. Cash usage in Switzerland has fallen over the years, but supporters say access to cash should be safeguarded.
The Justice Department dropped lawsuits against Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Susman Godfrey, and Jenner & Block after federal judges unanimously ruled Trump's executive orders targeting those firms unconstitutional, vindicating the firms' challenge and upholding the constitutional right to counsel and the rule of law. Some firms had previously agreed to pro bono deals or other concessions, a move that drew criticism from parts of the legal community and praise from opponents of the orders.
A gang of former military and legal officials, including the ex-chief of international law at U.S. Central Command, argue that Trump’s coordinated U.S.-Israel strike on Iran violated international law, the U.S. Constitution, and the War Powers Resolution by introducing U.S. forces into hostilities without proper congressional authorization or notification; the piece notes that briefings to the Gang of Eight may not satisfy legal requirements, discusses casualties and ongoing hostilities, and critiques the administration’s domestic-political framing while warning of escalation risks and civilian harm.
A circulated draft emergency executive order, reportedly coordinated by MAGA activists with the White House, would let the president declare a national emergency and unilaterally take control of elections (including banning mail-in ballots and voting machines) based on debunked theories of foreign interference. Experts say the move would be unconstitutional and illegal because election authority rests with states, and courts would likely block such powers despite supporters arguing for emergency powers.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas published a draft constitution for a future Palestinian state, establishing Islam as the official religion with Sharia as the primary source of legislation and designating Jerusalem as the capital and religious center while omitting any direct reference to Judaism. The draft reaffirms the PLO as the sole legitimate representative, guarantees the right of return for refugees, and includes provisions to care for families of martyrs, prisoners, and exiles (the pay-for-slay policy). It sets a civil-overseen security framework, bans non-government militias, imposes two five-year presidential terms with nationality/age restrictions, and envisions a Palestinian Monetary Authority. Public comment is invited for 60 days; Macron had offered to help, and Hamas criticized the draft as a rights violation.
President Trump suggested federal officials run or oversee Detroit’s elections, alleging “horrible corruption” without presenting new evidence. Michigan leaders, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, rejected the idea, reaffirming that elections are conducted at the state level. The piece notes a 2021 Michigan Senate finding of no widespread fraud and a 2024 review identifying a small number of noncitizen voters among millions of ballots, while stressing that the U.S. Constitution’s Elections Clause reserves election administration to the states.
Experts warn that Trump’s call for Republicans to “nationalize the voting” would upend the Constitution’s division of election power, which is reserved to the states with Congress having limited oversight. Implementing a nationwide system would require new federal legislation, a move unlikely to pass, and the current decentralized system is praised for reducing broad-scale fraud and interference. The piece also notes past efforts to centralize rules (and Trump’s 2020 attempts to overturn results) as context for the debate.
President Trump told a podcast and later remarks that Republicans should “nationalize” voting and take over federal elections in at least 15 states, a move critics say clashes with the Constitution’s Elections Clause which reserves election administration to states. He has supported executive measures and GOP-led bills like the SAVE Act to tighten voting rules, while White House officials and GOP leaders push back on federal control, reaffirming that states should administer elections. The push follows past DOJ action over voter rolls and a high-profile FBI search in Georgia related to the 2020 election.
President Trump, on a podcast, urged Republicans to ‘nationalize’ elections and ‘take over the voting in at least 15 places,’ alleging widespread fraud without evidence. The call would clash with the Constitution, which vests election administration in the states, and fits into his broader push to change voting rules ahead of midterm elections amid ongoing investigations and prior efforts to tighten voting standards.
U.S. District Judge William Young blasted top Trump officials and the president for alleged constitutional violations in detaining pro-Palestinian noncitizen students, saying the First Amendment was not being honored. The case, brought by faculty groups, centers on five detainees from Columbia, Tufts, and Georgetown who were arrested or targeted for their political views; the judge declined sweeping relief but signaled a narrower order to shield their immigration status. The proceedings showed Canary Mission profiles guiding DHS/ICE actions that led to visa and deportation efforts, with several detainees released and the possibility of rearrest for Khalil after an appellate ruling on jurisdiction.
Lawyers for Bill and Hillary Clinton say the House Oversight Committee’s subpoenas for their testimony about Jeffrey Epstein are invalid and unconstitutional, lacking a valid legislative purpose and pertinent link to the inquiry, and they accuse the move of being an attempt to harass the former president and secretary of state. They propose providing sworn written declarations instead of in-person testimony and emphasize the separation of powers as a barrier to compelled testimony.
Chief Justice John Roberts affirmed the resilience of the U.S. Constitution amid a tumultuous year for the judiciary, emphasizing the importance of impartiality and adherence to the founding principles despite political and legal challenges, including significant Supreme Court decisions affecting the Trump administration.