Stymied by the partisan gridlock, President Obama’s recent directives to bar federal contractors from discriminating against gay employees and to cut carbon pollution are bold examples of how presidents have used their executive powers to address critical issues when Congress has failed to adopt much-needed legislation.

For example, in 1961, as civil rights protests were gaining momentum, President Kennedy used his executive powers to order firms doing business with the federal government to refrain from discriminating against employees based on their race. President Johnson in 1965 issued an executive order establishing the Office of Federal Contract Compliance to implement this mandate to use “affirmative action” to address racial disc ... Read more »

On June 2nd, the Supreme Court rejected New York Times reporter James Risen’s appeal of a 4th Circuit decision that ruled the government can compel him to reveal his source under ... Read more »