William Perry Pendley's Townhall.com Column

Good News From Washington, D.C.

2009-04-01T00:01:00-04:00

William Perry Pendley Column
After so much bad news from Washington, D.C., it is worth considering some good news. After all, America has seen its most leftward tilt ever.

In the Land of Lincoln, Is Money Property?

2009-03-02T11:35:17-05:00

William Perry Pendley Column
It has been a captivating few weeks for Illinois. First, Illinois’s governor—responsible for filling Barack Obama’s vacancy in the U.S. Senate—is accused of trying to sell the seat.

Supreme Court to Decide Meaning of Obama Election

2009-02-01T00:01:00-05:00

William Perry Pendley Column
Sometime in June 2009, the Supreme Court will decide if the law will or if, notwithstanding the fanfare and hoopla, Obama’s election means nothing after all.

College Students Seek to Use Concealed-Carry Permits

2009-01-01T00:01:00-05:00

William Perry Pendley Column
One minute, Suzanne was eating lunch with her mother and father. The next, the happy hubbub of the restaurant was silenced when a pickup truck crashed through the brick, mortar, and glass. How could that happen?

One Consequence of a "Sorry" Congress; More to Come!

2008-12-01T15:50:14-05:00

William Perry Pendley Column
In 1993, Congress adopted an “Apology Resolution” expressing regret to “Native Hawaiians” for the federal government’s role in ending the Hawaiian monarchy.

Enviros Go Nuclear, But Not in a Good Way

2008-11-01T00:00:01-04:00

William Perry Pendley Column
After Paul Newman died on September 26, news broke that, although he contributed to environmental causes, he was also a secret supporter of something anathema to environmentalists: nuclear power.

Paralysis and Analysis in the Search for Energy in Michigan

2008-10-01T00:01:00-04:00

On October 1, 2008, a 25-year ban on drilling in federal waters (the Outer Continental Shelf) will expire, not with a bang but a whimper, as...

Ninth Circuit Gets It Right: No Indian Religious Veto

2008-09-01T00:01:00-04:00

William Perry Pendley Column
Arizona Snowbowl is an alpine ski area, seven miles north of Flagstaff, which occupies 777 acres on Humphrey’s Peak, amid the San Francisco Peaks in the Coconino National Forest.

Earth to FCC: What Part of "Unconstitutional" Is Unclear?

2008-08-03T00:01:00-04:00

William Perry Pendley Column
In 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, upheld the ability of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to award broadcast licenses based on race.

This Fourth of July: "Earn It!"

2008-07-01T15:59:10-04:00

William Perry Pendley Column
In January 1983, President Ronald Reagan echoed Lincoln’s admonition by declaring: “Freedom is not something to be secured in any one moment of time."

Ninth Circuit Outrage: States Immune from Fifth Amendment!

2008-06-01T00:01:00-04:00

William Perry Pendley Column
Although the Eleventh Amendment bars federal lawsuits against state governments or officers for monetary damages, the U.S. Supreme Court held, in 1987, that it does not bar federal Takings Clause cases.

States' Decade-Old "Dialogue on Race" Dooms Quotas

2008-05-01T00:01:00-04:00

William Perry Pendley Column
What is it that foreshadows Americans’ view that their governments may not distinguish between and among their fellow citizens on the basis of race?

Free School for Illegals: Time for a Supreme Court Review?

2008-04-01T00:01:00-04:00

William Perry Pendley Column
Last year, a senior at Roswell (New Mexico) High School was ticketed for blocking a fire lane outside a middle school and for driving without a license.

Judging Civil Liability Using "Values, Mores, and Norms"

2008-03-01T00:01:00-05:00

William Perry Pendley Column
Recently, the Supreme Court has whittled away at the jurisdiction of the nation’s 250 tribal courts. In 1978, it ruled that tribal courts lack criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians.

The West, Washington, D.C., and Weapons

2008-02-04T13:02:15-05:00

William Perry Pendley Column
John Shuler of rural Dupuyer, Montana, heard grizzly bears outside his house; fearing they would kill his sheep, he grabbed his rifle and ran into the night.

Feds Give Radical Colleges "Get Out of Jail Free Card"

2007-12-31T06:44:05-05:00

William Perry Pendley Column
After years defending the Solomon Amendment, federal lawyers have now handed radical campuses the way to escape its enforcement.

American Indians Given Veto Power Over Federal Land

2007-11-30T16:54:09-05:00

William Perry Pendley Column
This month, the entire U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will hear arguments in its reconsideration of a three-judge panel’s ruling in favor of American Indian religious practitioners.

California 'Repeals' Supreme Court Immigration Ruling

2007-11-05T15:04:56-05:00

William Perry Pendley Column
The Supreme Court held that federal labor laws did not supersede federal immigration laws by ruling, 5-4, that illegal aliens could not sue to collect backpay. The Court noted that labor laws sought to prevent and remedy unfair labor practices, which required employer penalties and sanctions as well as the ability of wronged employees to sue.

Deja Vu: Feds Abandon Another Chance to Narrow NEPA

2007-10-04T10:35:33-04:00

William Perry Pendley Column
In the mid-1980s, environmental groups challenged oil and gas leasing proposals by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Forest Service along the Overthrust Belt in Montana and Wyoming. They argued that the federal agencies had not obeyed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) because, instead of Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), which often run hundreds of pages, the agencies wrote Environmental Assessments (EAs).

Summary Judgment

2007-09-08T00:02:05-04:00

William Perry Pendley Column
In 2004, within four months of each other, two three-judge panels of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decided cases involving the Constitution's Establishment Clause and its requirement of government neutrality regarding religion.