John Whitehead
Constitutional Attorneys Urge Louisiana Governor to Reject Bill That Would Make Poverty a Pathway Into Jail, Debt and Court Control
BATON ROUGE, La. — Warning that more Americans are living one crisis away from homelessness in an economy marked by rising housing costs, medical debt, job instability and shrinking safety nets, The Rutherford Institute has urged Louisiana Governor…
If This Is Winning, America Can’t Afford Much More Of It
“We’re gonna win so much, you may even get tired of winning. And you’ll say, ‘Please, please. It’s too much winning. We can’t take it anymore. Mr. President, it’s too much.’”—Donald Trump Donald Trump promised Americans they would get…
The Permanent War Government: Who’s Really Calling the Shots in Washington?
“You want to defend the United States of America, then defend it with the tools it supplies you with—its Constitution. You ask for a mandate, General, from a ballot box. You don’t steal it after midnight, when the…
We the Victims: Who Pays When the Government Weaponizes Its Power?
“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody.”—Donald Trump One way or another, the American taxpayers always get screwed by politicians eager to spend our hard-earned dollars on programs and projects that do little to…
The Jury Box Is Shrinking: Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Sixth Amendment Challenge to Stop Erosion of the Right to Trial by Jury
WASHINGTON, D.C. — At a time when Americans are increasingly being subjected to aggressive policing, politicized prosecutions, and a criminal justice system stacked in favor of the government, the U.S. Supreme Court has once again declined to stop…
The Trump Hustle: Distraction, Deception & The Heist Of The American Economy
“Disinformation does not mean false information. It means misleading information—misplaced, irrelevant, fragmented or superficial information—information that creates the illusion of knowing something, but which in fact leads one away from knowing.”—Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death Call it what…
Can Police Search Every Phone in a Crowd? Supreme Court Urged to Block Police Uses of Dragnet Cell Phone Surveillance
WASHINGTON, DC — In the digital age, simply having a smartphone in your pocket can lead to the government collecting your data to investigate you as a suspect for a crime. That is the constitutional danger posed by…
Founding Felons: Jefferson Would Be on a Watch List Today—You Might Be Next
“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freedom of speech.”—Benjamin Franklin Everything this nation once stood for is being turned on its head. We are being asked—no, told—to believe that the greatest…
Easier to Die, Harder to Vote: The Rigged Architecture of the Warfare State
“The cost of war is too damn high Not another nickel Not another dime We won’t pay for Trump’s war crimes.” —Chanted by anti-war military veteran protesters in DC Reports of food shortages on naval ships deployed to the Middle…
Coalition Asks Appeals Court to Strike Down Trump’s ‘Law Firm Intimidation Policy’ as Unconstitutional Assault on First Amendment
WASHINGTON, D.C. — After more than a year of escalating efforts by the Trump administration to blacklist critics, censor dissent, and punish those who challenge its policies, a coalition of civil liberties organizations is urging a federal appeals…
Unfit to Govern: We Need a 25th Amendment for the American Police State
“In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.”— Friedrich Nietzsche One week after posting a profanity-laced Easter message threatening to wipe out the entire civilization of Iran, Donald J. Trump, the 47th president…
Criminalizing Dissent in a Time of War: Free Speech Coalition Urges Federal Court to Rein In Government Power to Detain Anti-War Protesters
WASHINGTON, DC — As the U.S. government escalates military conflicts abroad and confronts rising anti-war resistance at home, a broad coalition of civil liberties organizations is warning that dissent itself is being treated as a threat. In asking…
America Last: War Abroad, Tyranny at Home—and the Theft of a Nation
“We’re fighting wars, we can’t take care of … daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things… We have to take care of one thing: military protection.”—President Donald J. Trump “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired…
Hijacking Religion: How the Pentagon Turned the Sermon on the Mount into a War Manual
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” — Matthew 5:3-12 “We negotiate…
The Stealing Of America: You’re Not A Citizen—You’re A Revenue Stream For The Power Elite
“There is no art which one government sooner learns of another than that of draining money from the pockets of the people.”—Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations You’re not imagining it. Everything costs more. Everything is monitored. Everything feels like…
Supreme Court Reins In Government Argument Used to Shut Down Free Speech Challenges, Clears Path for Street Preacher Lawsuit to Proceed
WASHINGTON, DC —In a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for a Mississippi street preacher to challenge a local law that restricted his ability to share his faith—making clear that Americans do not lose…
Power Without Principle: The Rise Of The Bully Presidency
“When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything… Grab ‘em by the pussy. You can do anything.”— Donald J. Trump on seizing women, Access Hollywood (2005) “I think I can do anything I want with it.…
