justice and the courts
Different Motivations Lead to Bipartisan Support to End Mandatory Sentencing
By Emily Fetsch — January 10, 2014
Twenty-five years after Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, which set mandatory minimum sentencing requirements for drug offenders, an unlikely alliance of Tea Party Republicans and liberal Democrats has formed to propose legislation reversing the policy.
Supreme Court Addresses New Challenges to Obamacare Contraception Mandate
By MacKenzie Babb — January 7, 2014
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued an injunction December 31 temporarily blocking a portion of the Affordable Care Act that requires religious organizations to offer health care plans covering contraceptives.
Colorado Won’t be the Only State to Legalize Marijuana Sales for Long
By MacKenzie Babb — January 3, 2014
As marijuana became legal this week in Colorado, the state became the only place in the world where marijuana is regulated from seed to sale. The historic move follows an important shift in public opinion on the legalization of marijuana — in 2013, a majority of Americans supported legalizing the drug for the first time.
Nearly Two-Thirds of Gun Laws Since Newtown Loosen Restrictions
By MacKenzie Babb — December 11, 2013
Just after the Newtown shootings one year ago this week, most Americans favored strengthening gun control laws. But in the 12 months following the attack that left 20 students and six adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School dead, more states have actually loosened gun control laws than tightened them.
Death Sentence for Fort Hood Shooter Sparks Complex Debate about Death Penalty
By MacKenzie Babb — August 30, 2013
A military jury decided this week to recommend the death sentence for convicted Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people and wounded another 32 when he opened fire on a building packed with unarmed soldiers and civilians in 2009.
Location, Location, Location: How Your Hometown Affects Your Economic Mobility
By MacKenzie Babb — July 22, 2013
A recent report finds that your childhood hometown plays a significant role in how easily you’ll advance to higher income brackets as an adult.
Figuring Faith | After DOMA, the Fading Future of Religious Opposition to Same-sex Marriage
By Robert P. Jones — June 27, 2013
The Supreme Court delivered two landmark decisions affecting same-sex marriage in the United States yesterday, one expanding the federal definition of marriage and the other allowing California to once again wed gay and lesbian couples.
More Americans Than Not Agree With Supreme Court’s DOMA Ruling
By MacKenzie Babb — June 26, 2013
With public opinion on legalizing same-sex marriage at a tipping point—most surveys find a slim majority now in favor—the ruling is evidence of a significant reversal in how Americans think about the issue.
Our Corner | What Americans Really Think About Affirmative Action
By Daniel Cox — June 14, 2013
In a new column for Huffington Post Politics, PRRI Research Director Daniel Cox examines the divide between American support for the general principle of affirmative action and its application in college admissions. His insight is well-timed, as the Supreme Court is set to rule later this month on the constitutionality of using race as a factor in college admissions. Cox explores PRRI’s latest findings as part of the spectrum of... more
SCOTUS Aligns With American Public Opinion on Alabama Immigration Law
By Juhem Navarro-Rivera — April 30, 2013
By refusing to hear a case on Alabama's immigration law and letting the lower court decision stand, the Supreme Court’s decision more closely aligns with public preferences for federally-based solutions to immigration.
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