Controversies
Catholic Church in Canada Sues Victims of Abuse
Conducting what’s been described as “relentless legal campaigns,” the Catholic Church of Canada has countersued numerous victims of abuse by priests. One example cited by the Toronto Star focused on former altar boy John Caruso, whose abuser, Reve... read more
U.S. Fisheries Service Accused of Removing Protection of Right Whale by Changing Its Name
Bureaucratic semantics are threatening the future of the right whale in the Atlantic, according to a lawsuit filed by several environmental organizations against the federal government. The case centers on a 2008 decision by the National Marine Fi... read more
When Police Kill Police, the Victims are Rarely White
Racial profiling is a problem for police even in cases when they accidentally shoot a colleague. A task force assembled by the governor of New York, David Paterson, found that law enforcement across the country has mistaken minority officers as cr... read more
Obama Refuses to Release List of Pardon Requests
Concerned over where the matter might lead, the U.S. Department of Justice is fighting a Freedom of Information Act request to release the names of more than 9,200 people who were denied pardons by President George W. Bush.
The Justice Departm... read more
U.S Prepares to Deport Thousands of Veterans
Service in the armed forces is no guarantee for legal immigrants to remain in the United States if they break the law. There are approximately 3,000 to 4,000 veterans awaiting deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is using a 19... read more
Threats against Members of Congress Triple
Anger towards Congress has escalated into considerably more threats against senators and representatives. Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer told Politico that threats were up 300% during the opening months of 2010.
Those receiving death ... read more
Who First Called Attention to the Bomb-Filled SUV in Times Square? A Muslim
Lance Orton and Duane Jackson, hailed as heroes by the New York media and President Barack Obama, were not the first ones to spot and call attention to the bomb-laden SUV parked in Times Square earlier this month. Even though Orton and Jackson hav... read more
Prevented from Buying Guns, Felons Can Still Rent Them
Federal law forbids felons convicted of violent crimes from buying guns—but not renting them at stores. Owners of gun stores are not required to perform background checks on customers who merely want to rent a firearm for use at the store’s gun ra... read more
Perfume and Cologne Makers Add Untested Chemicals to Products
Applying many of the perfumes, colognes and body sprays on the market today can mean subjecting oneself to a dozen different secret chemicals, some which can cause allergic reactions or disrupt human hormones.
A report by The Campaign for Safe... read more
Bush-Era Memo Cited as Proof that Arizona State Police Have Right to Arrest Illegal Immigrants
Attorney General Eric Holder has said the Department of Justice is considering a lawsuit to stop the new immigration law in Arizona from going into effect. Such a move, though, might prove awkward unless the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Co... read more
The Mysterious X-37B Space Plane: What is it Doing Up There?
From its manufacture to its mission, the X-37B space plane is shrouded in mystery. Built by Boeing’s Phantom Works group for the U.S. Air Force, the unmanned, robotic spacecraft is currently orbiting the earth on a classified mission as it conduct... read more
Are BP and Obama Hiding Size of Gulf Oil Spill To Lessen Lawsuit Damages?
BP’s ruptured oil well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico could be spewing nearly 20 times more petroleum into the ocean than the company—with the Obama administration’s complicity—has claimed. Since the April 20 accident that caused the Deepwate... read more
Developers Lobby Group Challenges Obama Administration on Endangered Species Act
Seeking to limit the federal government’s application of the Endangered Species Act, the
National Association of Home Builders has filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior. The developers group contends that the Interior Department ... read more
Sen. DeMint Successfully Fights to Retain Secret Blocking of Nominees
Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) wanted so badly to expand the border fence dividing the United States and Mexico, he attached his proposal to an effort opening up a secretive procedure in the Senate—and in the process killed it.
“Secret ... read more
Little-Known Lobbying Group Created 115 State Laws for Industry in 2009
Called the “ultimate smoke-filled back room,” the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is not the innocuous political body it appears to be. A professional organization that counts thousands of state legislators as its members, ALEC has be... read more
Can of Del Monte Green Beans Sets Toxic BPA Record
A federally unregulated industrial chemical considered by consumer advocates to be dangerous to human health has been found in 90% of canned foods sold in the United States. A study by the National Work Group for Safe Markets randomly examined 50 ... read more