Congressional Research Service Reports - 178 Matching Results
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- Education Vouchers: Constitutional Issues and Case
- This report details the constitutional standards that currently apply to indirect school aid programs and summarizes all of the pertinent Supreme Court decisions, with particular attention to Zelman.
- Afghanistan: Elections, Constitution, and Government
- In 2004 and 2005, Afghanistan adopted a permanent constitution and elected a president and a parliament. The parliament is emerging as a significant force in Afghan politics, as shown in debate over a new cabinet proposed in March 2006. However, insurgent violence continues to threaten Afghan stability. See CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman.
- Fifth Amendment Privilege Against SelfIncrimination May Not Be Extended in Cases Where Only a Foreign Prosecution Is Possible
- Several courts in the various circuits have considered whether the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination applies to fear of incrimination in foreign countries, and they have come to divergent conclusions. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in United States v. Balsys, and on June 25, 1998, decided that a witness may not invoke the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination in which only a foreign prosecution is possible. This report provides background on United States v. Balsys and examines the court's opinion.
- Afghanistan: Elections, Constitution, and Government
- This report discusses the political situation in Afghanistan, more specifically it discusses the recent elections, newly formed constitution and the elected government.
- The Article V Convention for Proposing Constitutional Amendments: Historical Perspectives for Congress
- This report offers perspectives for Congress on the Article V Convention, opening with an overview of the provisions in Article V that established the convention procedure. The report further examines its origins at the Constitutional Convention of 1787; the history of the convention alternative, focusing on three major 20th century campaigns to convene a constitutional convention; and the role of the states in the Article V Convention process.
- Constitution of the United States; Recent Writings: Bibliography-in-Brief
- This bibliography contains recent publications discussing the history, development, and application of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
- Federalism Challenge to Medicaid Expansion Under the Affordable Care Act: Florida v. Department of Health and Human Services
- No Description Available.
- The Bradley Amendment: Prohibition Against Retroactive Modification of Child Support Arrearages
- This report provides an overview of the Bradley Amendment on prohibition against retroactive modification of child support.
- Amendment Process in the Committee of the Whole
- This report describes the amendment process in the Committee of the Whole, including reading for an amendment, debating, amendment trees, and voting.
- Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Recent Supreme Court Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendment
- The first part of the report gives a brief history of the flag protection issue, from the enactment of the flag protection act in 1968 through consideration of a constitutional amendment. The second part briefly summarizes the two decisions of the United States Supreme court.
- The Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act (“Byrd Amendment”)
- This report provides information about The Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act.CDSOA commonly known as Byrd amendment is a U.S law providing for the distribution of import duties collected as a result of antidumping.
- Education Vouchers: Constitutional Issues and Cases
- This report details the constitutional standards that currently apply to indirect school aid programs and summarizes all of the pertinent Supreme Court decisions, with particular attention to Zelman.
- Afghanistan: Elections, Constitution, and Government
- This report discusses the political situation in Afghanistan, more specifically it discusses the recent elections, newly formed constitution and the elected government.
- The Amending Process in the Senate
- This report describes the amending process in the Senate, including debating amendments, classification, precedence, amendment trees, restrictions, and voting.
- Administrative Appeals in the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service
- This report describes Congressional interest in the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) appeal process due to rumors that it affects the BLM's capacity to handle various resources. Moreover, the report defines what an administrative appeal is, and describes the process required to undertake one. The report also lists the various types of administrative appeals.
- Education Vouchers: The Constitutional Standards
- This report sketches the constitutional standards that apply to public aid to sectarian schools and especially to programs of indirect assistance such as education vouchers.
- ACA: A Brief Overview of the Law, Implementation, and Legal Challenges
- This report summarizes the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the legal challenges it has faced. The report contains information on various lawsuits due to the ACA and provides the reasoning behind them as Congress violating its enumerated powers in the constitution. Moreover, the report covers the challenges of implementing the law.
- Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Recent Supreme Court Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendment
- The first part of the report gives a brief history of the flag protection issue, from the enactment of the flag protection act in 1968 through consideration of a constitutional amendment. The second part briefly summarizes the two decisions of the United States Supreme court.
- Enforcing Immigration Law: The Role of State and Local Law Enforcement
- This report provides information about The Role of State and Local Law Enforcement on Enforcing Immigration Law.
- Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Supreme Court Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendments
- The first part of the report gives a brief history of the flag protection issue, from the enactment of the flag protection act in 1968 through consideration of a constitutional amendment. The second part briefly summarizes the two decisions of the United States Supreme court.
- Ecuador: Political and Economic Situation and U.S. Relations
- This report provides information about the Political and Economic Situation and U.S. Relations on Ecuador. Ecuador is an oil-producing country that has experienced ten years of political and economic stability.
- The European Union’s Constitution
- This report provides background information on the constitution, its key provisions, the current crisis, and possible implications for U.S. - EU relations.
- Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Recent Supreme Court Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendments
- The first part of the report gives a brief history of the flag protection issue, from the enactment of the flag protection act in 1968 through consideration of a constitutional amendment. The second part briefly summarizes the two decisions of the United States Supreme court.
- Banning Crush Videos: Legislative Response to the Supreme Court’s Ruling in U.S. v. Stevens and Lingering First Amendment Questions
- No Description Available.
- Federalism, State Sovereignty, and the Constitution: Basis and Limits of Congressional Power
- This report discusses state and federal legislative power generally and focus on a number of these "federalism" cases.
- Education Vouchers: an Overview of the Supreme Court’s Decision in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris
- This report provides factual background and summarizes the Court's prior precedent, the Sixth Circuit's decision, and the Supreme Court's analysis of the relevant constitutional issues.
- Amendment Process in the Committee of the Whole
- This report describes the amendment process in the Committee of the Whole, including reading, debating, amendment trees, and voting.
- China-U.S. Trade Issues
- This report mainly focuses on China-U.S. Trade Issues. China-U.S. ties have expanded substantially over the past several years. China overtook Japan to become the third-largest U.S.Export market and overtook Canada to become the Largest source of U.S imports.
- The European Union’s “Constitution”
- No Description Available.
- Administrative Appeals in the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service
- This report describes Congressional interest in the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) appeal process due to rumors that it affects the BLM's capacity to handle various resources. Moreover, the report defines what an administrative appeal is, and describes the process required to undertake one. The report also lists the various types of administrative appeals.
- ACA: A Brief Overview of the Law, Implementation, and Legal Challenges
- This report summarizes the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the legal challenges it has faced. The report contains information on various lawsuits due to the ACA and provides the reasoning behind them as Congress violating its enumerated powers in the constitution. Moreover, the report covers the challenges of implementing the law.
- Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Recent Supreme Court Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendment
- The first part of the report gives a brief history of the flag protection issue, from the enactment of the flag protection act in 1968 through consideration of a constitutional amendment. The second part briefly summarizes the two decisions of the United States Supreme court.
- Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Recent Supreme Court Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendment
- The first part of the report gives a brief history of the flag protection issue, from the enactment of the flag protection act in 1968 through consideration of a constitutional amendment. The second part briefly summarizes the two decisions of the United States Supreme court.
- The Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act (“Byrd Amendment”)
- This report provides information about The Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act.CDSOA commonly known as Byrd amendment is a U.S law providing for the distribution of import duties collected as a result of antidumping.
- Amendments on the House Floor: Summary of Major Restrictions
- This report is a summary of Major Restrictions regarding Amendments on the House Floor.
- Iraq: Politics, Elections, and Benchmarks
- This Congressional Research Report for Congress details elections and constitutional referendum pertaining to Iraq.
- Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment
- This report provides an overview of the major exceptions to the First Amendment, i.e., of the ways that the Supreme Court has interpreted the guarantee of freedom of speech and press to provide no protection or only limited protection for some types of speech.
- Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Recent Supreme Court Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendment
- This report gives a brief history of the flag protection issue, from the enactment of the Flag Protection Act in 1968 through current consideration of a constitutional amendment. A second part briefly summarizes the two decisions of the United States Supreme Court -- Texas v. Johnson and United States v. Eichman -- that struck down the state and federal flag protection statutes as applied in the context punishing expressive conduct.
- Legal Standing Under the First Amendment's Establishment Clause
- This report analyzes the constitutional issues associated with standing, specifically related to cases arising under the Establishment Clause. It provides a background on the doctrine of standing, including the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of various types of standing, including standing to sue as a citizen, as a taxpayer, and on behalf of another party.
- The European Union's Reform Process: The Lisbon Treaty
- This report provides information on the Lisbon Treaty and possible U.S.-EU implications that may be of interest to the 111th Congress.
- Federalism, State Sovereignty, and the Constitution: Basis and Limits of Congressional Power
- The lines of authority between states and the federal government are, to a significant extent, defined by the United States Constitution and relevant case law. In recent years, however, the Supreme Court has decided a number of cases that would seem to reevaluate this historical relationship. This report discusses state and federal legislative power generally, focusing on a number of these "federalism" cases.
- Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment
- This report provides an overview of the major exceptions to the First Amendment--of the ways that the Supreme Court has interpreted the guarantee of freedom of speech and press to provide no protection or only limited protection for some types of speech.
- Federalism, State Sovereignty, and the Constitution: Basis and Limits of Congressional Power
- The report discusses state and federal legislative power generally, and focuses on a number of these "federalism" cases. Issues addressed include congressional power under the Commerce Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment; limits on congressional powers, such as the Tenth Amendment; and state sovereign immunity under the Eleventh Amendment.
- The Article V Convention to Propose Constitutional Amendments: Contemporary Issues for Congress
- This report looks at how Article V of the Constitution allows Congress to propose amendments -- specifically the process of organizing an Article V Convention, a method that has never been used and which is only briefly outlined in the Constitution.
- The Article V Convention to Propose Constitutional Amendments: Contemporary Issues for Congress
- This report looks at how Article V of the Constitution allows Congress to propose amendments -- specifically the process of organizing an Article V Convention, a method that has never been used and which is only briefly outlined in the Constitution.
- Federalism, State Sovereignty, and the Constitution: Basis and Limits of Congressional Power
- This report discusses state and federal legislative power generally and focuses on a number of these "federalism" cases. The report discusses state and federal legislative power generally, and focuses on a number of these "federalism" cases.1 Issues addressed include congressional power under the Commerce Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment; limits on congressional powers, such as the Tenth Amendment; state sovereign immunity under the Eleventh Amendment; and grant condition imposed under the Spending Clause.
- Selected Theories of Constitutional Interpretation
- This report examines theories of constitutional interpretation, the role of the judiciary in this interpretation, and constitutional protections for fundamental rights.
- Military Personnel and Freedom of Religion: Selected Legal Issues
- This report provides an overview of the requirements of the First Amendment related to military personnel's religious exercise. It analyzes current constitutional and statutory requirements regarding religious exercise, and provides a framework for how Congress and the courts might consider future issues that arise related to service members' religious exercise. Specifically, the report examines the limitations placed on service members in uniform in the exercise of their religious beliefs. It also examines the role of military chaplains and the legal challenges associated with publicly funding religious personnel. The report analyzes efforts by Congress and the Department of Defense to address the constitutional concerns that are raised by these issues.
- The European Union's Reform Process: The Lisbon Treaty
- This report provides information on the Lisbon Treaty and possible U.S.-EU implications that may be of interest to the 112th Congress.
- Legal Standing Under the First Amendment's Establishment Clause
- This report analyzes the constitutional issues associated with standing (a restraint on the power of federal courts to render decisions), specifically related to cases arising under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment regarding religion. It provides a background on the doctrine of standing, including the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of various types of standing: standing to sue as a citizen, as a taxpayer, and on behalf of another party. It also examines the current standing rules related to the Establishment Clause.